Game ID: 22300572
Milwaukee Bucks @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Wednesday, January 17, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 32 34 42 27 135MIL 22 19 26 28 95
CLE vs MIL ScoutingCLE vs MIL Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
CLE availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 9 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 13 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 33 min since (91% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 20 min since (120% of 17)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 21 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 10 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 14 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 31 min since (86% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 22 min since (129% of 17)
CLE availability going into 1/11 · 3 days' restOUT Garland missed 11 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 15 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 12/29 after 4, 32 min since (90% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 12/29 after 2, 22 min since (130% of 17)
CLE availability going into 1/15 · 3 days' restOUT Garland missed 12 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 16 since 12/08, out tonight
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/17 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 13 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 17 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 1/11, returns tonight: 20 min (157% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 26 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/20 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 14 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 18 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 20 min since (157% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 15 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 19 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 20 min since (160% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 16 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 20 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 2 since 1/20, returns tonight: 28 min (99% of 28)
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 21 min since (164% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 27 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 17 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 21 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 28 min since (99% of 28)
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Thompson 11 to 17 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Crowder missed 27 since 11/13, out tonight
BACK Green back 1/06 after 4, 3 min since (27% of 11)
NEW Beauchamp 12 to 18 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 1/11 · 2 days' restOUT Crowder missed 28 since 11/13, out tonight
BACK Green back 1/06 after 4, 7 min since (64% of 11)
NEW Beauchamp 12 to 19 min over the last 4
MIL availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restOUT Crowder missed 29 since 11/13, out tonight
BACK Green back 1/06 after 4, 8 min since (69% of 11)
NEW Beauchamp 12 to 18 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 1/14 · back-to-backOUT Crowder missed 30 since 11/13, out tonight
BACK Green back 1/06 after 4, 8 min since (69% of 11)
NEW Jackson Jr. 10 to 17 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 1/17 · 2 days' restOUT Crowder missed 31 since 11/13, returns tonight: 19 min (86% of 22)
OUT Beauchamp missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 23 min (192% of 12)
BACK Green back 1/06 after 4, 10 min since (91% of 11)
NEW Jackson Jr. 10 to 18 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 1/20 · 2 days' restBACK Crowder back 1/17 after 31, 19 min since (86% of 22)
BACK Beauchamp back 1/17 after 2, 23 min since (192% of 12)
NEW Jackson Jr. 10 to 21 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 1/22 · 1 day's restBACK Crowder back 1/17 after 31, 16 min since (74% of 22)
BACK Beauchamp back 1/17 after 2, 23 min since (192% of 12)
NEW Jackson Jr. 10 to 18 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 1/24 · 1 day's restOUT Payne missed 2 since 1/20, returns tonight: 13 min (90% of 15)
OUT Beauchamp missed 2 since 1/20, out tonight
OUT Green missed 2 since 1/20, returns tonight: 1 min (6% of 11)
BACK Crowder back 1/17 after 31, 15 min since (67% of 22)
NEW Jackson Jr. 10 to 19 min over the last 5
MIL availability going into 1/26 · 1 day's restOUT Beauchamp missed 3 since 1/20, out tonight
BACK Crowder back 1/17 after 31, 16 min since (70% of 22)
BACK Payne back 1/24 after 2, 13 min since (90% of 15)
BACK Green back 1/24 after 2, 1 min since (6% of 11)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 100, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and LeVert at 18 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 12 a night. Without Garland (13 straight), Eva. Mobley (17 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 121, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 25 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Lillard at 24 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Crowder (31 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 100 a night to Milwaukee's 121 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-12 a night and Milwaukee plus-2. Call it Cleveland 119, Milwaukee 115, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/05 vs WAS 114-90 — CLE notes
CLE won 114-90. CLE shot 53% (41 of 77) to WAS's 42%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 23 times to WAS's 15 — 16 points from the stripe to their 11. CLE turned it over 23 times to WAS's 16, and WAS turned those into 12 steals. The glass went 52-31 for them. Mitchell led with 26 (8 of 15, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Niang added 14, Allen 12. The hinge was Q3, 32-19: a lead of 12 became 25, and the lead reached 29. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/07 vs SAS 117-115 — CLE notes
CLE won 117-115. CLE shot 49% (43 of 88) to SAS's 48%, 16 of 43 from three. CLE turned it over 16 times to SAS's 11, and SAS turned those into 10 steals. Allen led with 29 (11 of 19, 7 of 7 at the line); LeVert added 23, Merrill 18. The hinge was Q2, 34-24: CLE came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 16. Niang was the night's best plus/minus at +27.
1/11 vs BKN 111-102 — CLE notes
CLE won 111-102. CLE shot 39% (32 of 82) to BKN's 45%, 13 of 44 from three, and went to the line 43 times to BKN's 28 — 34 points from the stripe to their 20. CLE turned it over 11 times to BKN's 16. Mitchell led with 45 (15 of 30, 4 of 12 from three, 11 of 13 at the line); LeVert added 21, Allen 12. The hinge was Q1, 26-16: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 26. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
1/15 vs CHI 109-91 — CLE notes
CLE won 109-91. CLE shot 41% (39 of 95) to CHI's 42%, 20 of 57 from three. CLE turned it over 11 times to CHI's 18. Mitchell led with 34 (11 of 21, 4 of 10 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); LeVert added 16, Merrill 15. The hinge was Q1, 40-21: from level to 19 ahead. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/17 vs MIL 135-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 135-95. CLE shot 59% (55 of 93) to MIL's 40%, 12 of 28 from three, and went to the line 19 times to MIL's 10 — 13 points from the stripe to their 7. The glass went 55-36 for them. Niang led with 33 (13 of 14, 5 of 6 from three); Mitchell added 31, Allen 21. The hinge was Q3, 42-26: a lead of 25 became 41, and the lead reached 47. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +40.
1/20 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 113, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 23 free throws a game; Young at 22 and Murray at 21 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Hunter (14 straight), Krejčí (13 straight), Fernando (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 99, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Allen at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Garland (14 straight), Eva. Mobley (18 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-11 a night and Atlanta minus-3 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 99 a night to Atlanta's 113. Call it Cleveland 117, Atlanta 109.
1/22 @ ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 29 from three, 24 free throws a game; Banchero at 20 and Carter Jr. at 19 a game. Without Gar. Harris (9 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 100, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Allen at 17 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Garland (15 straight), Eva. Mobley (19 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 36 percent from three to Orlando's 29 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Orlando plus-2. Call it Cleveland 111, Orlando 107, Orlando keeping it close.
1/24 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 129, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 27 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 96, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Niang at 15 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Garland (16 straight), Eva. Mobley (20 straight), LeVert (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 96 a night to Milwaukee's 129 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Milwaukee minus-0. Call it Cleveland 120, Milwaukee 115.
1/26 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 128, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Lillard at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 101, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Merrill at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Garland (17 straight), Eva. Mobley (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 101 a night to Milwaukee's 128 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 31 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Cleveland 119, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/08 vs UTA 116-132 — MIL notes
MIL lost 116-132. MIL shot 45% (42 of 94) to UTA's 52%, 17 of 36 from three. Antetokounmpo led with 25 (10 of 20, 5 of 9 at the line); Middleton added 23, Beasley 17. Q3 was theirs, 44-23, the deficit cut from 31 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 109-72 against them. Green's -15 in 11 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/11 vs BOS 135-102 — MIL notes
MIL won 135-102. MIL shot 57% (52 of 92) to BOS's 37%, 18 of 42 from three, and got to the line 16 times to BOS's 30. The glass went 54-31 for them. Portis led with 28 (11 of 18, 5 of 6 from three); G. Antetokounmpo added 24, Lillard 21. The hinge was Q2, 34-15: a lead of 18 became 37, and the lead reached 43. G. Antetokounmpo was the night's best plus/minus at +38.
1/13 vs GSW 129-118 — MIL notes
MIL won 129-118. MIL shot 54% (51 of 94) to GSW's 48%, 13 of 31 from three. MIL turned it over 12 times to GSW's 7. Antetokounmpo led with 33 (13 of 22, 1 of 3 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Lillard added 27, Middleton 24. The hinge was Q1, 33-24: from level to 9 ahead. MIL trailed 54-56 at the half and won the second half 75-62. Lillard was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/14 vs SAC 143-142 — MIL notes
MIL won 143-142 in 1 overtime. MIL shot 52% (48 of 92) to SAC's 52%, 20 of 43 from three, and went to the line 32 times to SAC's 20 — 27 points from the stripe to their 15. Lillard led with 29 (9 of 23, 5 of 13 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Antetokounmpo added 27, Beasley 23. The hinge was Q2, 36-29: MIL came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 2. Portis was the night's best plus/minus at +10.
1/17 @ CLE 95-135 — MIL notes
MIL lost 95-135. MIL shot 40% (38 of 95) to CLE's 59%, 12 of 42 from three, and got to the line just 10 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 36-55 against them. Lillard led with 17 (7 of 20, 1 of 5 from three); Portis added 16, Crowder 15. Q4 was theirs, 28-27, the deficit cut from 41 to 40, but the other 3 periods went 108-67 against them. Middleton's -40 in 20 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/20 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 123, shooting 50 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Ivey at 23 and Bogdanović at 22 a game. Without Cunningham (5 straight). 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 126, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 27 and Lillard at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Milwaukee at 41 percent from three to Detroit's 36 and the turnovers, Detroit giving it away 14 times a game to Milwaukee's 11. Call it Milwaukee 122, Detroit 119, Detroit keeping it close.
1/22 @ DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Detroit comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 125, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Burks at 23 and Ivey at 22 a game. Without Cunningham (6 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 129 a night and allowing 126, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 25 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 28 a game. One day's rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Milwaukee 124, Detroit 121, Detroit keeping it close.
1/24 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 129, shooting 49 percent and 36 from three, 28 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 27 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 96, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Niang at 15 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Garland (16 straight), Eva. Mobley (20 straight), LeVert (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 96 a night to Milwaukee's 129 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-8 a night and Milwaukee minus-0. Call it Cleveland 120, Milwaukee 115.
1/26 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 128, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 31 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 31 and Lillard at 27 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 101, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 17 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Merrill at 16 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Garland (17 straight), Eva. Mobley (21 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 101 a night to Milwaukee's 128 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 31 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Cleveland 119, Milwaukee 117, Milwaukee keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
MILAG A. Green
AJ A. Jackson Jr.
BL B. Lopez
BP B. Portis
CL C. Livingston
CP C. Payne
DL D. Lillard
JC J. Crowder
KM K. Middleton
MB M. Beasley
MB M. Beauchamp
PC P. Connaughton
RL R. Lopez
TA T. Antetokounmpo
CLE/MIL the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Donovan Mitchell scores 31 points as Cavaliers thrash Giannis-less Bucks 135-95 for 6th win in a row
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell had 31 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took advantage of Milwaukee being without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to extend their winning streak to a season-best six games by pounding the Bucks 135-95 on Wednesday night.
Antetokounmpo sat with a bruised right shoulder, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the first time in 29 games — the second longest streak of his career. The two-time MVP is not expected to be out for an extended period.
The Bucks had better hope not.
The Cavs, who have made a surprising push despite being without two starters, held Milwaukee to 2 points in the first six minutes and a season-low for a game.
“Our defense, that’s where it started,” said Cleveland center Jarrett Allen . “We really set the tone.”
Georges Niang made 13 of 14 shots and added a career-high 33 points — 20 in the first half — for the Cavs, who improved to 11-3 since losing Darius Garland (broken jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee surgery) with injuries last month.
Allen added 21 points and 13 rebounds — his 10th straight double-double — for Cleveland, which opened a 22-2 lead and never looked back.
On a night when the Bucks were missing Antetokounmpo's presence along with his 31 points and needed someone to step up, no one did.
Damian Lillard , who hit a 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer to beat Sacramento on Sunday, led Milwaukee with 17 points on just 7 of 20 shooting. Khris Middleton had two points, going 1 of 10 from the field.
“Tough night collectively, but we’ve got to find the energy from the jump, especially being short-handed,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. ”You have to learn from this because you can’t allow this to happen again, especially at the start of the game.
"Before we looked up, we were down 20. We would literally come down and just shoot.”
The injuries to Garland and Mobley threatened to derail Cleveland's season. However, the opposite has happened as the Cavs have played better at both ends without them and moved among the Eastern Conference's top teams.
“At that point in time, you've got a decision to make: You quit or you fight,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “And I never expected this group of guys to quit. The fight came and the results have been what they've been.”
Any thought Milwaukee had of staging a comeback ended in the second quarter, when Niang made four 3-pointers, his last giving the Cavs a 55-30 lead.
During a timeout while Niang was on his tear, the Cavs showed a video tracing his journey to the NBA on the arena's scoreboard.
“I learned a lot about him today on the Jumbotron — and on the court,” Allen cracked. “Two thousand plus points in high school, and that’s not easy to do. He really showed why he had that many points in high school tonight.”
Cleveland's lead swelled to 40 in the third quarter before Griffin pulled his starters and cleared his bench, bringing in seldom used Thanasis Antetokounmpo , Giannis' younger brother.
It was the first of three games between the Bucks and Cavs in nine days. They'll play on Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 in Milwaukee.