Cavs blow out Giannis-less Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

CLEVELAND — It's hard to believe one player out of the lineup could mean that much. The first-place Milwaukee Bucks, playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, were blown to smithereens on Wednesday by the surging Cavaliers, 135-95, at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The "Greek Freak" missed the game with a bruised right shoulder. The Bucks (28-13) fell behind 20-2 right out of the gates and didn't put up much of a fight thereafter. Cleveland (24-15) has won 11 of its last 14 games, including six in a row. The Cavs, who led by 47 points at one juncture in the fourth quarter, were concerned about Milwaukee's other threats before the game. Sure, Antetekounmpo's 31.2 points and 11.4 rebounds would be missed. But the Bucks have several other capable players, including perennial All-Star guard Damian Lillard and two players from their last NBA championship team, center Brook Lopez and forward Khris Middleton. It turns out there was nothing to fret about. The three players barely showed up, especially Middleton, who finished with two points on 1-of-10 shooting. Lillard paced the Bucks with 17 points and five assists but shot a dreadful 7-of-20 from the field. Lopez added 11 points and three blocks but Cavs players drove past him to the basket all night.Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff was thrilled with his team's defense, which he labeled "elite." "They set the tone," he said. "Our guys were physical without fouling." Valuable reserve forward Georges Niang was sensational for Cleveland with a career-high 33 points and five rebounds in 27 minutes. He was 13-of-14 from the field, 5-of-6 from behind the arc and 2-of-3 from the foul line. Niang caught a rhythm shooting early on, as he made all eight of his shots in the first half when the Cavs stormed to a 66-41 advantage. "I'll definitely enjoy what happened tonight," he said. "But you've got to have amnesia in this league, even after a big game. All of us know this is way bigger than Georges Niang's first 30-point night. We have a tough stretch of games coming up." He said it's taken time for the new players to integrate themselves into the Cavs team. "We've hit our stride with what works," Niang said. "It takes time to gel." He said even when Evan Mobley and Darius Garland return from injuries, the ball will continue to move. "I don't expect that to change when they come back," Niang said. The Cavs dished out 36 assists on the night and shot a season-high ,591 from the field. Guard Donovan Mitchell fired in 31 points and added five rebounds and seven assists. He's averaging 36.7 points in his last three games. Center Jarrett Allen was also a standout with his 10th consecutive double-double with 21 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, three assists and one block. "I'm out there having fun and enjoying it," he said. "Our team knows I'm on a mission of getting the rebound." Bickerstaff said it's more than just numbers with Allen. "He's been dominant on both ends of the floor," he said. Swingman Isaac Okoro added 10 points and a career-high seven assists. The Cavs completely destroyed Milwaukee on the boards, 56-36.Including Wednesday's game, the Cavs play the Bucks three times in the next 10 days, including twice in Milwaukee. "We wanted to be great tonight," Bickerstaff said. "During this stretch, we've been getting off to a good start. It's a matter of how we hold on." Nance on the way The Cavs are expected to sign 6-11 forward Pete Nance to a 10-day contract soon. He played in West Chester, N.Y., on Tuesday for the G League Cleveland Charge. Bickerstaff said he'd check with Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman to find out when the former Revere High School star will join the team. Hitting the boards Bickerstaff said the Cavs' defensive rebounding has been stellar in the last couple weeks. "We've talked about how extra opportunities (for the opposing team) can be dangerous," he said. "We have scrappy guys. They are crashing the boards." Get out your slide rule While speaking about guard Sam Merrill, Bickerstaff said he uses "geometry" to get open on the court. "Sam is a pro's pro," he said. "He's a really good basketball player. He's playing geometry on the court. He's playing angles (to get his shot off)." Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.