Cavaliers hold off Bucks to win home debut at Rocket Arena

CLEVELAND — There was nothing easy about this one. The Cavaliers responded with the game on the line and eked out a 118-113 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday in the home opener at Rocket Arena. Cleveland (2-1) withstood a 40-point, 14-rebound, nine-assist performance from Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, who looked other-worldly. The Cavs rotated several players on the two-time Most Valuable Player and double-teamed him when he ventured near the basket. The 6-foot-11, 246-pounder still powered in 14 of 20 shots from the field. "That's championship Giannis," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He's at a whole other level." The Cavs were cruising in the third quarter and opened up what looked like an insurmountable 18-point lead. But Milwaukee's zone defense seemed to catch Cleveland off guard and sparked a 23-6 run that left the Cavs only leading 86-84 at the end of the third quarter. The Bucks tied the score at 98 with 6:54 to play but never took the lead in the fourth quarter. "Give them credit," Atkinson said. "Their zone got us out of rhythm. I think we had five or six turnovers against their zone. I wasn't expecting that from them. It slowed us down, offensively." The Cavs outscored Milwaukee 32-29 in the fourth quarter. Cleveland power forward Evan Mobley's clutch free throw shooting kept Milwaukee at bay. He was 12-of-12 from the foul line and had 23 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and two blocks. In the fourth quarter, he made all six of his free throws. "We've been talking about him making the next step," Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell said of Mobley. Mitchell was pretty good himself, scoring 10 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. "Donovan made some huge shots," Atkinson said. The Cavs celebrated the return of small forward De'Andre Hunter, who missed the first two games with a bruised knee. Hunter fired in 16 points in his season debut. "If he doesn't play, do we win the game?" Atkinson asked. "It's up in the air." The coach said Hunter's presence gives the Cavs more size and physicality and, obviously, better spacing and perimeter shooting. Shooting guard Sam Merrill continued his onslaught from the 3-point line by making 4 of 9 from long distance for 17 points. "He's probably been our best player in the first three games," Atkinson said. Mitchell agreed with his coach's assessment. "(Merrill) is very vocal," he said. "He was one of our best defenders last year. He's doing whatever it takes. He's been consistent in everything he does." The Cavs also got a nice boost off the bench from point guard Lonzo Ball, who added 11 points, six rebounds and five assists. Atkinson also has him inbounding the ball in late-game situations to take advantage of his 6-6 frame and passing ability. Cleveland dominated the boards for much of the game and finished with a 44-37 edge, including a 34-28 advantage on the defensive glass. That was a major point of emphasis for the Cavs coming into the game. Center Jarrett Allen came up big on the boards with eight points and a team-high 11 rebounds. "Whatever we emphasize, they usually respond," Atkinson said. "We did a much better job (than in the first two games). We rebounded the ball well on both ends." Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.