Game ID: 22300639
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Milwaukee Bucks
Friday, January 26, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Fiserv Forum, Milwaukee, WI
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIL 28 29 20 23 100CLE 30 24 26 32 112
CLE @ MIL ScoutingCLE @ 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.
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)
MIL availability going into 1/27 · back-to-backOUT Beauchamp missed 4 since 1/20, returns tonight: 6 min (50% of 12)
BACK Crowder back 1/17 after 31, 17 min since (76% of 22)
BACK Payne back 1/24 after 2, 12 min since (82% of 15)
BACK Green back 1/24 after 2, 1 min since (6% of 11)
MIL availability going into 1/29 · 1 day's restBACK Payne back 1/24 after 2, 14 min since (94% of 15)
BACK Beauchamp back 1/27 after 4, 6 min since (50% of 12)
BACK Green back 1/24 after 2, 2 min since (23% of 11)
MIL availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restBACK Payne back 1/24 after 2, 14 min since (92% of 15)
BACK Beauchamp back 1/27 after 4, 6 min since (50% of 12)
BACK Green back 1/24 after 2, 2 min since (23% of 11)
MIL availability going into 2/03 · 2 days' restOUT Beauchamp missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
OUT Green missed 2 since 1/29, returns tonight: 6 min (59% of 11)
OUT Jackson Jr. missed 2 since 1/29, out tonight
BACK Payne back 1/24 after 2, 13 min since (84% of 15)
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
CLE availability going into 1/29 · 2 days' restOUT Garland missed 18 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 22 since 12/08, returns tonight: 21 min (66% of 32)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 26 min since (92% of 28)
BACK Porter Jr. back 1/17 after 2, 16 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/31 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 19 since 12/16, returns tonight: 20 min (61% of 34)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 3 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 21 min since (66% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 25 min since (89% of 28)
NEW Merrill 17 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 2/01 · back-to-backOUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 1/26, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 4 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 20 min since (61% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (69% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 25 min since (89% of 28)
CLE availability going into 2/03 · 1 day's restOUT Porter Jr. missed 4 since 1/26, returns tonight: 0 min (4% of 13)
OUT Thompson missed 5 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Garland back 1/31 after 19, 22 min since (66% of 34)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 1/29 after 22, 22 min since (69% of 32)
BACK LeVert back 1/24 after 2, 26 min since (91% of 28)
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.
1/17 @ 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 141-135 — MIL notes
MIL won 141-135. MIL shot 55% (47 of 85) to DET's 47%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 49 times to DET's 32 — 35 points from the stripe to their 26. Lillard led with 45 (12 of 22, 5 of 11 from three, 16 of 16 at the line); Antetokounmpo added 31, Lopez 19. The hinge was Q2, 36-29: MIL came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 3.
1/22 @ DET 122-113 — MIL notes
MIL won 122-113. MIL shot 45% (42 of 94) to DET's 45%, 10 of 39 from three. Antetokounmpo led with 31 (11 of 25, 1 of 5 from three, 8 of 12 at the line); Middleton added 26, Lillard 17. The hinge was Q4, 33-28: a lead of 4 became 9. Beasley was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/24 vs CLE 126-116 — MIL notes
MIL won 126-116. MIL shot 50% (45 of 90) to CLE's 51%, 11 of 29 from three, and went to the line 28 times to CLE's 15 — 25 points from the stripe to their 11. Antetokounmpo led with 35 (16 of 24); Lillard added 28, Middleton 24. The hinge was Q2, 29-23: a lead of 4 became 10, and the lead reached 21. Middleton was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
1/26 vs CLE 100-112 — MIL notes
MIL lost 100-112. MIL shot 40% (35 of 87) to CLE's 41%, 13 of 34 from three, and got to the line 24 times to CLE's 31. MIL turned it over 18 times to CLE's 13. Lillard led with 22 (7 of 24, 2 of 10 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Antetokounmpo added 22, Middleton 14. Q2 was theirs, 29-24, turning a 2-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 88-71 against them. Lopez's -21 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/27 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 122, shooting 46 percent and 33 from three, 29 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 26 a game. Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 118, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 23 free throws a game; Williamson at 21 and McCollum at 21 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Milwaukee wins, and the game turns on the arc, New Orleans at 38 percent from three to Milwaukee's 33 and the line, where Milwaukee takes 29 free throws a game to New Orleans's 23. Call it Milwaukee 119, New Orleans 118, New Orleans keeping it close.
1/29 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 30 from three, 22 free throws a game; Jokić at 33 and Murray at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 119, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 32 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 30 and Lillard at 28 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the line, where Milwaukee takes 32 free throws a game to Denver's 22 and the defense, Denver allowing 108 a night to Milwaukee's 119. Call it Denver 117, Milwaukee 116, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/31 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 24 free throws a game; Simons at 23 and Brogdon at 19 a game. Without Sharpe (10 straight). One day's rest. Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 114, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 27 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 22 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 117, Portland 115, Portland keeping it close.
2/03 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 129, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 27 free throws a game; Dončić at 45 and Hardaway Jr. at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Irving (5 straight), Jones Jr. (3 straight), Exum (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Milwaukee comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 115, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 24 free throws a game; Antetokounmpo at 29 and Lillard at 24 a game. 2 days' rest.
So: Milwaukee wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Milwaukee allowing 115 a night to Dallas's 129 and the glass, where Milwaukee has been plus-0 a night and Dallas minus-5. Call it Milwaukee 121, Dallas 119, Dallas keeping it close.
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 116-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 116-95. CLE shot 51% (43 of 85) to ATL's 40%, 16 of 43 from three. Mitchell led with 18 (6 of 17, 0 of 6 from three, 6 of 6 at the line); Merrill added 18, Wade 17. The hinge was Q2, 34-25: a lead of 5 became 14, and the lead reached 27. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
1/22 @ ORL 126-99 — CLE notes
CLE won 126-99. CLE shot 56% (45 of 80) to ORL's 46%, 20 of 38 from three, and got to the line 22 times to ORL's 30. CLE turned it over 9 times to ORL's 15. Merrill led with 26 (8 of 13, 8 of 13 from three); Mitchell added 25, Allen 14. The hinge was Q1, 38-19: from level to 19 ahead, and the lead reached 36. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +34.
1/24 @ MIL 116-126 — CLE notes
CLE lost 116-126. CLE shot 51% (46 of 91) to MIL's 50%, 13 of 38 from three, and got to the line 15 times to MIL's 28. Mitchell led with 23 (10 of 24, 2 of 11 from three); Allen added 21, Strus 14. Q4 was theirs, 37-33, the deficit cut from 14 to 10, but the other 3 periods went 93-79 against them. Allen's -17 in 32 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/26 @ MIL 112-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 112-100. CLE shot 41% (38 of 92) to MIL's 40%, 14 of 36 from three, and went to the line 31 times to MIL's 24 — 22 points from the stripe to their 17. CLE turned it over 13 times to MIL's 18. Mitchell led with 32 (12 of 27, 6 of 12 from three); Allen added 24, LeVert 12. The hinge was Q4, 32-23: a lead of 3 became 12, and the lead reached 17. CLE trailed 54-57 at the half and won the second half 58-43. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
1/29 vs LAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 103, shooting 51 percent and 41 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Allen at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Garland (18 straight), Eva. Mobley (22 straight). 2 days' rest. The Clippers come in 5-0 over their last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 110, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; George at 21 and Leonard at 21 a game. That is 5 straight wins. Without Zubac (6 straight), Tucker (28 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 103 a night to the Clippers' 110. Call it Cleveland 115, the Clippers 113, the Clippers keeping it close.
1/31 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Allen at 19 a game. Without Garland (19 straight). One day's rest. Detroit comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 47 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Bogdanović at 23 and Burks at 15 a game. Without Wiseman (4 straight). 2 days' rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 106 a night to Detroit's 118 and the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-2 a night and Detroit minus-3. Call it Cleveland 119, Detroit 110.
2/01 @ MEM — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Memphis comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 104, shooting 44 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jackson Jr. at 24 and Williams Jr. at 18 a game. Without Bane (9 straight), Kennard (2 straight), LaRavia (8 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 111, shooting 50 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Allen at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the turnovers, Memphis giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 11 and the defense, Memphis allowing 104 a night to Cleveland's 111. Call it Cleveland 111, Memphis 110, Memphis keeping it close.
2/03 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 20 free throws a game; Vassell at 24 and Wembanyama at 21 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Johnson (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 111, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 31 and Allen at 19 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where San Antonio has been plus-6 a night and Cleveland plus-1 and the turnovers, San Antonio giving it away 16 times a game to Cleveland's 12. Call it Cleveland 115, San Antonio 112, San Antonio keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
DJ D. Jones
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
SM S. Merrill
MILBL B. Lopez
BP B. Portis
CP C. Payne
DL D. Lillard
GA G. Antetokounmpo
JC J. Crowder
KM K. Middleton
MB M. Beasley
PC P. Connaughton
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
Mitchell scores 32 as Cavs beat Bucks 112-100 for 9th win in last 10 games
MILWAUKEE -- — Cleveland Cavaliers coach JB Bickerstaff considered two road matchups with the Milwaukee Bucks in a span of three nights an opportunity to prepare his team for the postseason.
The Cavs responded by showing how they could bounce back and produce the kind of adjustments they'd need to make in a playoff series.
Donovan Mitchell scored 32 points, Jarrett Allen had 24 points and 14 rebounds and the Cavaliers beat the Bucks 112-100 on Friday night for their ninth win in their last 10 games. The Cavs gained a measure of revenge after their eight-game winning streak ended with a 126-116 loss at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
“You want to prepare for it as if it's a playoff game and use it as practice,” Bickerstaff said. “We still have young guys who haven't played a ton of playoff basketball. We want to give them that experience. How we studied, how we prepared, what we did yesterday, what happened at shootaround, we wanted to use it as kind of a dry run for us, so to speak, for what a playoff game would look like.”
Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists to end his string of two straight triple-doubles.
The game Wednesday took place one night after the Bucks had fired Adrian Griffin as coach.
Joe Prunty, an assistant on Griffin’s staff, worked as interim head coach for those two games. The Bucks announced in the final minute of Friday's game that they have hired Doc Rivers as Griffin's permanent replacement.
Damian Lillard scored 22 points for the Bucks, while Brook Lopez had 11 points and 12 rebounds.
After trailing 104-88 with four minutes left, the Bucks cut the lead to 106-100 on Lillard's free throws with 1:39 remaining. Caris LeVert sank a 3-pointer 23 seconds later, and the Cavs wouldn't look back.
“We felt like a step behind last game,” Allen said. “I don't think we were ready to play when we did the tipped ball. Tonight we came out with energy that we believed we could play with (and) the defense that we're supposed to play, too.”
Cleveland took the lead for good by going on a 14-0 run in the third quarter while holding the Bucks scoreless for nearly 6 ½ minutes.
Milwaukee led 57-54 at halftime and extended the advantage to 63-57 on Khris Middleton 's follow shot with 10:51 left in the third, but the Bucks wouldn’t make another basket for nearly nine minutes. Milwaukee’s only points during that stretch came on two free throws by Lillard that gave the Bucks a 65-60 edge with 8 1/2 minutes remaining in the third.
After those free throws, Milwaukee wouldn’t score again until Pat Connaughton sank a 3-pointer with 2:02 left in the third.
“It wasn't them,” said Milwaukee's Bobby Portis , who had 12 points and eight rebounds. “It was us. I think we slowed ourselves down. We were attacking matchups. We weren't playing side to side. The ball wasn't moving side to side. We played a lot of 1-on-1 tonight.”
Connaughton’s shot was one of four straight 3-pointers the Bucks would make in a 90-second span as they cut a nine-point deficit to one.
The Cavs responded with 11 straight points to grab an 89-77 advantage, and they stayed ahead the rest of the way.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.