It was a small lineup of games on Friday night, but NBA fans were still given a treat with several amazing matchups on the schedule. In Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off their latest impressive win over the reigning NBA Emirates Cup champions, the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Bucks were without Damian Lillard in this game with a calf sprain and they missed his presence tonight. The Cavaliers set the tone from the very start and opened the game with a 29-point first quarter before ballooning the lead to 18 points going into halftime. The Cavaliers cruised for the rest of the night and landed on a 124-101 win to move up to an NBA-best 24-4 on the season.
As usual, Donovan Mitchell led the way for the Cavaliers with a team-high 27 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds in 27 minutes. Darius Garland also had a standout performance with 16 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds in 25 minutes. In the frontcourt, Evan Mobley contributed 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 27 minutes.
For the losing team, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave a truly incredible effort in the loss with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 3 assists on 13-22 shooting. Khris Middleton is still on a minutes restriction but he was a good sidekick tonight with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists on 5-12 shooting. At center, Brook Lopez gave a nice boost for the Bucks with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks in 24 minutes.
These two teams were among the hottest in the league going into their matchup tonight. For the Bucks, it was fresh off a championship win in the NBA Cup while the Cavaliers are riding high with the best record in the entire league. In the end, the Cavaliers were able to prove themselves as the better and more complete team for now thanks to several factors that helped them establish dominance from the very beginning.
All Starters In Double Figures
The Bucks have been making significant strides on both ends of the floor, but they had no answers for the Cavaliers tonight, who got major contributions from across the roster. Tonight, all five Cavaliers starters were in double figures, including Darius Garland (16 points), Donovan Mitchell (27 points), Dean Wade (15 points), Evan Mobley (15 points), and Jarrett Allen (10 points).
Of course, depth is another area of strength for the Cavaliers and a major reason for their impressive record so far. Even off the bench, the Cavaliers can easily go 8-9 men deep. Tonight, they played everyone in uniform, who managed to contribute 41 points.
As it stands, the Cavaliers are one of the few teams with practically no weaknesses on the roster. They have some major talent at every position and have options off the bench which makes their lineups adaptable to any matchup.
Donovan Mitchell Is On A Hot Streak
It’s still too early to pick a decisive MVP favorite this season, but Donovan Mitchell will surely be a part of the conversation if this trajectory holds. He routinely delivers for the Cavs and has thrived as not only their closer but also one of their top playmakers in the backcourt.
Against the Cavaliers, he scored with ease and made a variety of shots both inside and outside the arc. Mitchell’s game opened up the floor for his teammates and allowed the team to shoot a solid 50.5% from the field (including 42.6% from three).
For the season, Mitchell is averaging 23.3 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game on 44.8% shooting. Those aren’t his best numbers but it’s been good enough to lead the Cavaliers to the best record in the NBA right now
Elite Ball Movement
Another key to the Cavaliers’ win, and their success this season overall, is their improved coordination as a team. In years past, this group struggled to get on the same page but after years of playing together, the Cavs have developed some solid chemistry and it was on full display tonight.
The Cavs tallied 30 assists in the game and their offense was running fluid and smooth all night long. With Mitchell and Garland taking over the majority of the ball-handling duties, the others already know how to get to certain spots that can maximize their scoring potential.
Most importantly, the Cavaliers aren’t resorting to isolation hero ball when the game starts to slow down. As a team, ball movement and well-balanced team play have clearly been made the priorities and we’re seeing it work with great effectiveness on the court.
Next on the docket for the Cavaliers is a battle against the Philadelphia 76ers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 8:00 PM EST. On December 23rd, the Cavaliers continue their homestand against the Utah Jazz at 7:00PM EST. They don’t play agian after that until December 27th when they face the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena at 9:00PM EST.
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