The Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business Wednesday night with a hefty 40 point win over divisional rival Milwaukee Bucks. Which Cavaliers stood out? What does this mean for Cleveland’s standing in the conference? Here’s a look back as Cleveland demolishes Milwaukee 95-135.
Starting lineup
The Cavaliers went with a starting lineup of Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen. Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Ty Jerome are still currently sidelined.
Standouts
As always, Mitchell had an outstanding night. In his 26 minutes he scored 31 points, five rebounds and seven assists. This is his eighth 30 plus point outing this season.
Allen also continues on his hot streak with 21 points, 13 rebounds and three assists. This is his 10th consecutive double-double, and in his teen games he’s averaging 19 points, 14.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists. With Mobley out, Allen has done everything Cleveland has asked of him and more.
While some other players had some decent nights, Okoro and Sam Merrill each scored 10 a piece and almost everyone else contributing, the highlight of the night was Georges Niang. Coming off the bench and playing 27 minutes, Niang finished with 33 points, five rebounds and two assists. Hitting five threes and only turning the ball over once, Niang was the star of the show and proved, once again, that Cleveland made phenomenal signings this offseason.
Cleveland also had a better shooting percentage and three point percentage than Milwaukee. They topped the Bucks in rebounds and assists, while committing less fouls and no less turnovers. This was an overall dominant outing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Takeaways
Although Cleveland is still riddled with injuries, and the Bucks were down a Greek Freak, this was an impressive display by the Cavaliers. The guys who were expected to play well did, mostly everyone got stats across the board and a bench player was the scoring leader. When competing against an Eastern Conference threat, especially one in Cleveland’s own division, performances like this are needed.
Conference standings
This is also Cleveland’s sixth consecutive win, as they stay close at the heels of Philadelphia and their third place spot. Only sitting two games behind the Sixers, and four games behind the Bucks. The Celts sit comfortably atop the East with 32 wins (four games above Milwaukee). The Knicks aren’t far behind Cleveland either, having one win but also two more losses. It’s a tight race in the east as the season approaches the all-star break.
Despite Cleveland’s current limitations, they’re playing like a true competitor. It can only be expected that when they’re fully healthy, and a former all-star and another former first team All-NBA defensive player are added to their roster, the only place to go is up.
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- Source: https://thegamehaus.com/sports/cleveland-demolishes-milwaukee-95-135/2024/01/20/
