Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference will face off for the final time this season when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.
It’s the second night of a weekend back-to-back at home for Milwaukee, which fell to the Orlando Magic 111-109 on Saturday night. The loss snapped the Bucks’ four-game winning streak.
Orlando led by as many as 17 in the second half and fended off Milwaukee’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt. Bucks coach Doc Rivers said he didn’t like the lack of ball movement that has plagued his offense at times this season.
“We didn’t move the ball a lot,” he said. “We danced with the ball. … When we do that, we’re not very good. We gave in to a lot of their physicality. I thought they were so much more physical tonight.”
Cleveland is on another mammoth run, winning its 13th consecutive game on Friday night, 118-117 in comeback fashion against the Hornets in Charlotte.
Overall, the Cavaliers have won 17 of their past 18 games and are two wins away from tying the 15-game winning streak that started their season.
The Cavaliers were down by nine points in the fourth quarter on Friday but ended on a 23-13 run. Donovan Mitchell led the way with 24 points, and the team made 43 free throws, shooting 43 of 51 (84.3 percent).
“I mean, we won. But that was … we won,” Mitchell said. “We’re winning games, but I’m always going to hold us to a high standard, myself included. Rough start and rough finish. We shouldn’t have been in that position: mistakes, turnovers, defensive mishaps, rebounds.”
Mitchell leads Cleveland with an average of 24.4 points per game, Darius Garland averages 6.7 assists, and Jarrett Allen is the top rebounder with an average of 10.3.
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads Milwaukee, averaging 30.9 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Damian Lillard averages 7.2 assists.
On the injury front, Cleveland’s report is clear. Milwaukee was without Pat Connaughton (calf), Gary Trent Jr. (knee) and Ryan Rollins (personal reasons) on Saturday. Antetokounmpo (calf) was questionable going into the game and Lillard (eye) was probable, but both played.
Cleveland has beaten Milwaukee in all three meetings this season. The Cavaliers swept a home-and-home series on Nov. 2 and 4, 114-113 and 116-114, respectively, then won 124-101 in Cleveland on Dec. 20.
In the most recent matchup, Mitchell paced six Cleveland scorers in double figures with 27 points and six assists. Without Lillard on the floor, Antetokounmpo led Milwaukee with 33 points and 14 rebounds.
The Cavaliers are a top team in the league in most categories on the stat sheet, but particularly on the offensive side.
Cleveland leads the NBA in offensive rating (122.1), points per game (123.1) and 3-point percentage (39.2 percent). They are second in overall NET Rating (11.0) to the Oklahoma City Thunder (12.6).
Milwaukee is right behind them in 3-point percentage (38.3 percent). Cleveland also has a higher defensive rating (111.1) than the Bucks (111.8).
The Cavaliers are on the way to winning the NBA’s Central Division. They have a 16 1/2-game lead over Milwaukee, which has won the Central the past six seasons.
–Field Level Media
