The Cleveland Cavaliers came up short on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. Let’s see who won and lost the night.
WINNER – Dennis Schroder and the Bench
We’re lumping all of the winners into one category tonight.
It’s pretty difficult to lose three starters and still compete on the road. The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, and Evan Mobley tonight. But those losses are easier to overcome when you have a roster full of guys ready to step up and seize the moment.
We can talk about some of the individual performances soon. But the intensity that this second unit can bring to the floor is worth commemorating on its own. This isn’t a B-Squad that hangs its head or feels discouraged whenever they lose minutes. This is a group that’s hungry and foaming at the mouth to take the floor.
Schroder earned his first start as a Cavalier, putting up 26 points and 5 assists. His constant attacks both as a ball-handler and point-of-attack deterrent eventually helped break the dam and put the Cavs in front. Even after rolling his ankle, Schroder continued to lay it all on the line and get into Milwaukee’s defense to convert the game-tying floater with under 40 seconds to play.
Before that, Keon Ellis and Craig Porter Jr. joined Schroder to create a beautifully chaotic trio.
Porter’s downhill drives got Cleveland back into a groove during the third quarter. They had previously struggled to break Milwaukee’s shell. But Porter attacked open space and dished the rock to Jarrett Allen to re-establish their presence in the paint.
As for Ellis, he’s quickly becoming a fan favorite. It’s one thing to go after every loose ball and come up with steals while diving to the floor. But to combine that frenetic defensive energy with a 4-of-8 three-point shooting night is going to win you a ton of good favor in Cleveland.
And then there’s Thomas Bryant, who has given the Cavs a reliable option in their frontcourt whenever they’ve needed him.
It’s rare for a roster to have one of these plug-and-play guys. Let alone a whole rotation full of them. The Cavs ultimately weren’t able to get over the hump tonight, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. This was as hard fought of a loss as you can have.
LOSER – Three-Point Defense
Milwaukee clearly had one plan for this game. Launch three-pointers and pray for the best.
Jokes aside, the Bucks were deliberately hunting for three-point shots. Or, at the start, settling for them. But once the Cavs showed they werene’t going to rotate and recover with proficiency — those shots stop feeling like last resorts. Milwaukee quickly found a rhythm and took off with a lead as the Cavs couldn’t keep up.
It started with poor defense at the point of attack. Turning past one defender put the rest of Cleveland’s defense in a bind. The Bucks were then able to drive and kick far too easily. Sure, they went bombs away from downtown, but that’s in large part because the Cavs couldn’t stop them.
AJ Green shot 5-10 from deep. Kyle Kuzma, who is shooting 32.5% from downtown this season, also converted on 5-10 of his attempts tonight. Each one felt like a haymaker.
This game shouldn’t have been a shootout. A shorthanded squad like Cleveland’s needed to make sure of that. The fact that Milwaukee was able to nail 19 of 45 (42.2%) three-point attempts should have been a dealbreaker.
Somehow, the Cavs still did enough to nearly steal this one. But a better defensive showing would have guaranteed them the win.
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