After beating the Boston Celtics in a season opener earlier this week, the Cleveland Cavaliers were on the road on Friday night. They faced the Milwaukee Bucks in their second game of the season in a matchup that we could possibly see in the playoffs this season. The Bucks entered this game having also won their first game of the season against the Celtics, but the Cavaliers had won the previous four meetings against the Bucks.
It was a sellout crowd at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee with more than 18,000 hyped fans. The Cavaliers were without Isaiah Thomas in this game who is out indefinitely due to a hip injury, while the Bucks were playing without Jabari Parker.
Convincing win for the Cavs
It was a back-and-forth affair in the first quarter of this game, with both teams scoring at will almost. The score was tied at 25-25 after the first 12 minutes of the game. Neither team managed to create a significant lead early in the game, with Milwaukee leading 41-39 midway through the second quarter. The Cavaliers managed to regain the lead before the halftime buzzer, as the score was 55-49 for the away squad at halftime. It was in the third quarter of this matchup when the Cavaliers took control of the game. They outscored the Bucks 31-24 in the third period and held an 86-73 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Cleveland went on to score 30 points in the final period of the game, as they celebrated an easy, 116-97 victory on Friday night.
The Cavaliers outrebounded the Bucks 44-30 in this one, and they also held them to just 31.4 percent shooting from the three-point line. Cleveland finished the game with 25 assists and 11 made three-pointers.
LeBron with great performance once again
LeBron James was the leading scorer for the Cavs in this one. James finished the game with 24 points and also added eight rebounds and five assists.
He did so while shooting an efficient 10-of-16 from the field including 2-of-4 from the three-point line. Kevin Love also played a good game for the Cavaliers, finishing with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists. Kyle Korver helped with 17 points in 19 minutes of action.
For the Milwaukee Bucks, it was their All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo who led the way in scoring.
Giannis scored a game-high 34 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out eight assists. Malcolm Brogdon added 16 points and two rebounds for the Bucks and the two of them were the only Milwaukee players in double-digit scoring in this one.
The Cavs play again on Saturday night as they host the Orlando Magic. The Bucks face the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night as well.
