Evan Mobley (38 points) lets off steam for the Bucks
The Cavaliers were looking to redeem themselves after the loss the day before. The battle against Milwaukee was fierce, but thanks to the locals, especially the emperor Evan Mobley, they achieved their goal.
Inspired by a successful shot by the greatly depleted Warriors, the Bucks stormed into the game with a furious Bobby Portis stomping their feet to put his team ahead (6-13). Cleveland didn’t panic, riding an 11-2 run capped by Jarrett Allen’s dunk to pull back (19-18) before the second.
Therefore, at 19-5 this time it was closed by Evan Mobley’s authoritarian dunk that Cleveland regained the hair of the animal (42-31). Milwaukee continued to bounce back before halftime thanks to a Holiday-Portis-Lopez triple and a final 3-pointer from Pat Connaughton to make it -3 (50-47).
Despite Darius Garland’s activity, no goals or assists, and Isaac Okoro, Caris LeVert and Kevin Love’s long rockets, the locals struggled to fend off Mike Budenholzer’s troops. The Holiday-Lopez tandem continued the pressure, and George Hill’s two shots kept everyone under pressure for 12 minutes (86-81). Especially when Pat Connaughton then Joe Ingles started the last drive with two 3-point baskets each (95-95)!
Cleveland relied on six baskets by Evan Mobley in the first five minutes to stay the course (99-95). Darius Garland’s inside thus allowed the locals to drive home the point, managing to put Milwaukee within ten lengths with less than four minutes to go (107-97). After Darius Garland, Karis LeVert put Evan Mobley into orbit for the last time, securing the twentieth victory of the season at home (114-102).
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Milwaukee played all the way. Despite the absence of Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks show great team spirit. Around Jrue Holiday, Mike Budenholzer manages to use the qualities of each “role player”, causing him to give a little more than usual. Although the game could have turned into a tie midway through the second quarter, Milwaukee held on and the two teams were still tied with 8 minutes left. The equation might have been a lot less straightforward for the Cavs if it weren’t for Evan Mobley.
– Rebound battle. Against the Warriors’ B team the day before, the Cavs were outrebounded (35-for-45 shooting), an affront to JB Bickerstaff and his talented and dense racket. Against Brook Lopez, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, and Kevin Love, the Cleveland Rockets guarded well enough to help them win the rebounding battle.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Evan Mobley. The fine work was enhanced by the start of the final quarter, which allowed him to break his career record. His advantage is that he can be productive with scraps without taking too much weight in organizing the offensive game. He can change the situation by attacking or after complex possession, an invaluable plus for Cleveland.
✅ Darius Garland. “Just another day at the office” for the Cavs point guard, who got the job done right at 21 points, 10 assists, +19 +/- and just one turnover. Responsibilities as in Donovan Mitchell’s absence.
✅⛔️ Holiday-Portis duet. In this extremely complicated context, it’s hard to fault the Bucks. Jrue Holiday was the constant benchmark for his team, finishing with 28 points and 10 assists, which is indicative of his activity in this matchup. On the other hand, he missed almost all but two shots in the final act. His six turnovers also hurt his overall performance a bit. The same goes for the interior, which started with a bang and looked faultless for three quarters of the match, even if it lost a bit of precision after the break. In the final quarter, when Milwaukee needed a boost from him, he was almost absent.
NEXT
Cleveland (29-19): The Cavs are expected to take on the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday (1:30 p.m.).
Milwaukee (29-17): The Bucks are at Detroit this Monday night (1:30 p.m.).
