BucksCap: Bucks Survive Cavs’ Late Push

Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of being a three-loss team headed into the month of December. That would mean Milwaukee has won their first 17 of 20 games to start the season. This is simply incredible. The national media loves to remind us on a regular basis how much the Bucks miss Malcolm Brogdon, yet, all they’ve done is win 84% of their games to start the season. It continues on Friday night by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 119-110. Cavs found their shooting stroke in the second half, but Milwaukee clamped down late to preserve the victory.
Player of the Game: Giannis Antetokounmpo – Another game, another big night for Giannis Antetokounmpo. He finished with 33 points and 12 rebounds. Giannis kept his double-double streak alive in this one. He had arguably his worst performance of the year against Cleveland earlier this year, and Antetokounmpo bounced back nicely in this one. He did a great job getting a bucket when Milwaukee needed one in the second-half onslaught by Cleveland.
Honorable Mention: George Hill – What a way to respond after a couple of games out with injury. George Hill dealt with a bulky back then came back to deliver an excellent performance off the bench. Like Giannis, he had a great second half that helped endure the Cavs’ charge. Hill scored 18 points in 22 minutes. Bucks’ veteran point guard made four threes.
One Thing That I Liked: Bucks never seemed to back down – Despite what the Cavs were doing in the second half, Bucks never looked out of sorts. Giannis, Hill, and others steadied the team. Then when the game got close in the final couple of minutes, Antetokounmpo and company shut down Cleveland from getting any sort of open looks.
One Thing I Didn’t Like: Sterling Brown likely to miss multiple weeks – It was revealed that Sterling Brown has a sprained AC joint in his shoulder. He suffered the injury against Atlanta on Wednesday night. That is the type of injury that should likely keep Brown out for two or three weeks at minimum. That’s a big loss for Milwaukee as Brown is one of their best energy guys off the bench.
Next up: Bucks have a BTB tonight as they take on Charlotte. Even though Milwaukee are heavy favorites, they cannot be complacent. Charlotte has put some scares into good teams this season. They love to shoot threes, and if they’re on fire like the Cavs, this game will be close. I’d love to see Milwaukee lay down the hammer though.
Charlie.