Cavaliers rally late, tie franchise record with 8-0 start

CLEVELAND — A lot of things have come easily for the Cavaliers this season, but this win was about mental toughness. Trailing by eight points with six minutes to play, they roared back and posted a 116-114 come-from-behind victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Point guard Darius Garland had a game-high 39 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. The Cavs are 8-0, which equals their best start ever, originally set in 1976-77. They will try to set a franchise record in New Orleans on Wednesday. Garland added a game-high eight assists and just two turnovers in 35 minutes. He was 15-of-22 from the field and 7-of-11 from the 3-point line. "(Garland) was unbelievable," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He's an incredible player. He is a true point guard. You add the scoring to it and you have an All-Star guy." The Bucks (1-6), who have lost five in a row, played without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Guard Damian Lillard continued his lethal shooting with 36 points. He drilled 15 3-pointers and scored 77 points in the last two games against the Cavs. "He distorts your defense," Atkinson said. Garland and Lillard locked into a point guard duel in the fourth quarter. "It was amazing," Garland said. "It was one-on-one basketball. He made some tough shots against me." Cleveland played eight games in the last 13 days, including three in the last four. "This was about mental fortitude," Atkinson said. Power forward Evan Mobley had 17 points and three blocks and center Jarrett Allen had 14 points, a game-high 15 rebounds, six assists and two steals. He also had a game-sealing block on Lillard at the rim late in the fourth quarter. "I was the help guy down low," Allen said. "I thought he was going to try to dunk it. He's very athletic. My job was not to let him score." Atkinson said Allen has experienced some fatigue in the last few games. "His elite rim protection stands out," he said. "I'm glad Koby (Altman, Cleveland's president of basketball operations) locked him up." Mobley had a brilliant sequence of plays in the second quarter when he grabbed a rebound, drove the length of the court and had a left-handed dunk. After a Milwaukee miss, he drilled a 3-pointer. "That sequence had the whole world watching," Allen said. Guard Donovan Mitchell added 14 points, while reserve guard Sam Merrill had 12. The Cavs were held scoreless for 5:31 over the course of the third and fourth quarters. Georges Niang's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter snapped the drought and pulled Cleveland to 93-92. The Cavs took the lead for good with 12.2 seconds remaining on Allen's layup. Mitchell honored Mitchell was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for games Oct. 28 through Sunday. It's his first player of the week honor this season and seventh of his career. Mitchell led the Cavs to an NBA-best 4-0 record last week, with all the victories coming against teams that made the playoffs last season. He averaged 25.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists in the four games and made the winning basket in Milwaukee on Saturday. Suns guard Devin Booker was Western Conference Player of the Week. Freak out Antetokounmpo missed Monday's game with a right adductor strain. Milwaukee coach Doc Rivers said he made the decision after shootaround Monday morning that the eight-time All-Star would not play. "He hates missing games," the coach said. "I had decided in my own mind he wasn't playing once I heard he was sore." Rivers said his star player has been playing at a high level, as evidenced by him averaging 31 points, 12.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists. "As far as his total game, I don't know if he's been better," he said. "He's been phenomenal." Rivers said watching Mobley reminds him of Antetokounmpo the way he is handling the ball and initiating the offense. New Browns fan For the first time in his life, Rivers is cheering for the Browns, largely because of Jimmy Haslam, part owner of the Bucks and owner of the Browns. "He's around a lot," Rivers said. "He has a tough mentality. As you know, I'm a Bears fanatic. I'm cheering now for the Browns, which I've never done." Cavs shorthanded Sixth man Caris LeVert (knee), starting small forward Dean Wade (illness) and guard Jaylon Tyson (hip) were held out of Monday's game. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.