'Super' Don to the rescue, Cavs beat Bucks

CLEVELAND – Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson admits his team is still "clunky" on both sides of the ball. Cleveland rode the hot hand of Donovan Mitchell's game-high 37 points to clobber the Milwaukee Bucks 118-106 on Monday at Rocket Arena.Mitchell fired in 14-of-22 attempts from the floor, 4-of-8 from long distance, and added five rebounds, seven assists and one steal. Atkinson refers to him as "Super" Don. "I'm glad we pulled it out," the coach said. "The game won't go in the Hall of Fame. It's not smooth sailing right now. The good news is we're 10-5 and not 5-10." Shooting guard Sam Merrill was outstanding for the Cavs with 20 points and five rebounds. The sharpshooter was 6-of-9 from the 3-point line and received comparisons to Kyle Korver and Joe Harris by his coach. "As a pure catch-and-shooter, he's right there," Atkinson said. Merrill jammed a finger on his shooting hand when he ran into Bucks power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo on Cleveland's first defensive play and spent time in the locker room. "I wasn't sure I would be able to shoot," he said. "Adrenalin is a real thing." Merrill played a key role of breaking Milwaukee's zone defense in the fourth quarter. "They got two stops and then Sam hit those two threes and got them out of it," Atkinson said. Merrill had 11 points in the fourth quarter, as the Cavs outscored the Bucks 26-18 to blow the game open. Cleveland shot .557 from the field and .429 from the 3-point line. They also won the battle of the boards, 45-34. Antetokounmpo went to the locker room late in the second quarter with a left groin strain and didn't return. The two-time MVP finished with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists in 13 minutes. "With Giannis being out, they became a lot more predictable," Mitchell said. "I have a lot of respect for that dude. He's a Hall of Fame player. When he's out there, it's war. I want what he has, a ring." Power forward Evan Mobley contributed 14 points, six rebounds and six assists. On the downside, he turned the ball over six times. Center Jarrett Allen added 12 points and small forward De'Andre Hunter and point guard Craig Porter Jr. had 11 points apiece. For Milwaukee (8-7), guard Ryan Rollins had 24 points and five assists. Atkinson said the Cavs have been playing in a "slog." "It's definitely not been perfect," Merrill said. "We still have a long way to go in the season. We have a lot of new guys trying to figure out their roles. We'll get there." Atkinson inserted Thomas Bryant and Nae'Qwan Tomlin into his rotation and benched the struggling Larry Nance Jr. "By no means is it set," the coach said. "We're still trying to figure it out." Bob Finnan can be reached at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.