Donovan Mitchell, Cavs win third meeting against Bucks
CLEVELAND — Dating back to last season, the Cavs have used a “little brother versus big brother” analogy to describe their matchups against the Milwaukee Bucks.
And the little brother landed a big punch in Wednesday’s game between two of the leading favorites in the Eastern Conference, as the Cavs beat the Bucks 114-106 for their first victory over Milwaukee in three matchups so far this season.
A year ago, the Cavs were the plucky youngsters who made a surprising amount of noise in the Eastern Conference, though their volume was turned down to a whisper when it came to the playoffs. The Bucks, meanwhile, were the defending NBA champions, led by superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.
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But like the younger brother coming of age, the Cavs began to show they could go toe-to-toe with big, bad Milwaukee. At the very least, it is becoming a fair fight.
“I think what we did is we earned their respect,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff, referencing last season. “And if you get a lucky shot in on your big brother one time, the next time you fight him he’s gonna be prepared for that. I think that’s what we’ve seen in these first two games [this year] is we’ve come out, but there is a level of respect they have for us. And they’ve taken their game to another level because they knew what to expect.”
The Bucks won the first two meetings, both Milwaukee, 113-98 on Nov. 16 and 117-102 on Nov. 25. The Cavs took Wednesday’s game, at one point even opening up a 20-point lead. The home team has won the first three games, with a fourth meeting set for Jan 21. in Cleveland.
Each time Cleveland and Milwaukee play, it’s entirely possible it’s a preview of what could be a heavyweight battle in the playoffs. The Cavs and Bucks are on much more even footing than at any point in the post-LeBron era Part 2. After Wednesday’s game, the Bucks still have the best record in the NBA at 22-9. The Cavs have the third-best record at 22-11. The Boston Celtics are between them at 22-10.
Cavs display level of poise to hold off Bucks comeback, reverse trend of first two meetings
With Donovan Mitchell, who scored a team-high 36 points Wednesday, the Cavs have closed that gap and continue to establish themselves as title contenders. But in addition to Mitchell, what has helped them find equal footing with the Bucks? In a word: poise.