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Wrap-Up -- The Bucks – holding the NBA’s best record with just over two weeks to play – had won all 10 season series against Eastern Conference opponents this season. On Sunday, they went to 11.
The Wine & Gold stung Milwaukee last week at The Q, but with the Greek Freak back in the lineup for Sunday’s rematch the Bucks jumped out to a double-digit lead midway through the first quarter and barely looked back, holding on for the 127-105 victory at Fiserv Forum.
After Milwaukee jumped out to its early edge, the Cavaliers were never really in the game, nor never really out of it – cutting the Bucks’ early 11-point lead to three in the second quarter but trailing by double-digits for most of the second half.
Seven Bucks tallied double-figures, led by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was a nightmare all afternoon for Cleveland – finishing with 26 points, 10 boards, seven assists and four blocks, going 11-for-16 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the stripe.
Overall, Milwaukee shot 55 percent from the floor and scored at least 30 points in three of the four quarters on Sunday.
The Wine & Gold got solid individual efforts in the loss – namely by Kevin Love, who tied a season-high with 19 rebounds to go with a team-best 20 points, going 8-of-21 from the floor, including 4-of-11 from beyond the arc.
One game after breaking Campy Russell’s single season scoring mark for a Cavaliers reserve, Jordan Clarkson came off the bench to add 19 points on 7-for-16 shooting, adding four boards and three assists in 34 minutes of work.
Collin Sexton saw his streak of at least 20 games (barely) snapped at eight – longest by a rookie this season and the longest stretch since Ron Harper reached 13 in 1987 – finishing with 18 points, going 6-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the line.
Larry Nance Jr. found himself back in the starting five against Milwaukee’s unorthodox lineup, chipping in with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting to go with three boards, three steals and a team-best six assists.
Balance scoring attack not enough in Milwaukee.
Tristan Thompson, still rounding his way back into game-shape after a 26-game absence, completed the Cavaliers in double-figures, coming off the bench to tally 10 points and six boards.
Aside from Antetokounmpo’s dominance, the Bucks saw Brook Lopez drill four triples – breaking Channing Frye’s single season mark for triples by a seven-footer – and former Cavalier, George Hill come off the bench to notch 17 points on 7-for-8 shooting.
The Bucks came into the contest as the league’s best rebounding team, but outdid the Wine & Gold by just a single board, 45-44, on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee.
Turning Point -- As they’re prone to do, the young Cavaliers got off to another slow start on the road – with the Bucks grabbing an 11-point edge less than five minutes into the affair.
But the Cavs bounced right back, cutting Milwaukee’s advantage to just a single point later in the period and trailing by just five after one period.
Cleveland stayed within striking distance through the early part of the second period – again cutting the Bucks’ lead to just five on Jordan Clarkson’s layup with 6:32 to play in the half.
Milwaukee would take over from there, however, rattling off the next 12 points to take a 17-point lead. The Cavaliers found themselves in catch-up mode for the rest of the game – getting back to within single-digits for a brief time midway through the third quarter before running out of gas in the fourth.
By the Numbers – 19.0, 11.7, 8 … scoring and rebounding averages – shooting 41 percent from the floor and 40 percent from deep – plus number of double-doubles that Kevin Love has piled up in 13 games since the All-Star Break.
Quotable – Kevin Love, on what makes the Bucks so difficult to defend …
”You try to collapse and they have the personnel to light you up. They have shooters all around. They’re a tough team to guard. They’re long on the defensive end and it makes them really tough to score on as well. They have all the pieces to be the best team in the East and they’re showing that this year, especially towards the end of the season.”
Up Next -- With Sunday’s loss in Milwaukee in the books, the Wine & Gold have just one more trip remaining this season. Before they embark on the late-season junket, the Cavs stop home for a Tuesday night showdown with Boston at The Q. Following that, it’s a Thursday night meeting with the Spurs in San Antonio, with a rematch against the Clippers in L.A. two days later to wrap up the month. From there, it’s an April Fool’s Day meeting with the Suns in Phoenix before wrapping up the roadie with a back-to-back against Sacramento and Golden State.