Giannis Antetokounmpo scores 34, leads Bucks to a 119-111 win over the Cavaliers
CLEVELAND (AP) Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points and 16 rebounds, Damian Lillard scored 24 of his 31 points in the second half, and the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111 on Friday night.
Antetokounmpo and Lillard each scored 14 points in the pivotal third quarter when Milwaukee outscored Cleveland 40-21 to erase a 15-point deficit and take the lead for good. The Bucks have the third-best record in the NBA at 24-8.
“When you put the basketball in the hands of your two best players, you’re going to get good results,” Antetokounmpo said. “If you want to double-team Dame, then I’m going to be open to make a play or get the ball to my teammates.”
Donovan Mitchell had 34 points, six rebounds and nine assists for Cleveland after missing four games with an illness. Jarrett Allen scored a career-high 30 points on 15-of-17 shooting and had 12 rebounds and six assists.
Malik Beasley scored 15 points on five 3-pointers and Khris Middleton had 13 points and a season-high 11 assists for Milwaukee. Brook Lopez added nine points, 10 rebounds and six blocked shots.
“I thought we were able to break them down inside-out tonight,” said Lillard, who was 11 of 11 from the foul line, all in the second half. “Our team is growing and we’re establishing ourselves. I think it shows in this type of a game.”
Cleveland fell to 5-2 since learning that power forward Evan Mobley (left knee surgery) and point guard Darius Garland (jaw fracture) will be sidelined until February. Undrafted rookie Craig Porter Jr. scored 14 points, playing nine minutes in the fourth quarter.
The Cavaliers shot a season low 14% from 3-point range, missing 37 of 43 attempts. Caris LeVert and Georges Niang each went 0 of 6.
“It was a big point of emphasis to protect the 3-point line because they’ve been playing some really good ball,” Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin said.
The Bucks, who went 3-1 on a four-game trip, will play just one home game during an eight-game run that ends Jan. 6 in Houston. Key offseason acquisition Lillard is averaging 26.3 points over the last six contests.
“Dame is also a guy who can singlehandedly take over a game,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “You can’t stop Giannis and him, so you have to figure out how to balance your defense. It's a challenge.”
Allen made his first nine shots and scored 18 points in the opening half, helping Cleveland take a 59-53 lead into the break. Antetokounmpo had 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in 19 minutes.
“Man, he’s tough to guard,” Antetokounmpo said of Allen. “His stats have improved so much. When a big guy like that is making jump shots and shooting those hooks over you, there is nothing you can do really to stop him.”
Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam are co-owners of the Bucks.
UP NEXT
Bucks: Host Indiana on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Visit Toronto on Monday night.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Brook Lopez vs. Jarrett Allen (Donovan Mitchell gains possession) | ||
| 11:37 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point driving layup | 0-2 |
| 11:21 |  | +2 | Khris Middleton makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 2-2 |
| 11:04 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point stepback jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists) | 2-4 |
| 10:42 | | Malik Beasley misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 10:40 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point reverse layup (Jarrett Allen assists) | 2-6 |
| 10:34 | | Khris Middleton defensive goaltending violation | ||
| 10:22 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Damian Lillard's two point driving layup | ||
| 10:18 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 10:14 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point hook shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 2-8 |
| 9:53 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Khris Middleton assists) | 4-8 |
| 9:40 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:38 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 9:28 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 9:17 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point driving hook shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 4-10 |
| 8:55 | | +2 | Brook Lopez makes two point cutting layup (Khris Middleton assists) | 6-10 |
| 8:38 | | Brook Lopez blocks Max Strus's two point cutting layup | ||
| 8:34 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | Malik Beasley turnover (lost ball) (Max Strus steals) | ||
| 8:30 | | Max Strus misses three point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 8:28 | | Max Strus offensive rebound | ||
| 8:27 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:25 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point running dunk | ||
| 8:17 | | Isaac Okoro defensive rebound | ||
| 8:17 | | Brook Lopez shooting foul (Isaac Okoro draws the foul) | ||
| 8:17 | | +1 | Isaac Okoro makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 6-11 |
| 8:17 | | +1 | Isaac Okoro makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 6-12 |
| 8:06 | | Damian Lillard turnover (lost ball) (Dean Wade steals) | ||
| 7:59 | | Max Strus misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:57 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 7:57 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:57 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:45 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point pullup jump shot | 6-14 |
| 7:45 | | Bucks 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:23 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Giannis Antetokounmpo's two point driving dunk | ||
| 7:23 | | Bucks offensive rebound | ||
| 7:19 | | Jump ball. Giannis Antetokounmpo vs. Jarrett Allen (Khris Middleton gains possession) | ||
| 7:14 | | +3 | Malik Beasley makes three point stepback jump shot (Khris Middleton assists) | 9-14 |
| 6:58 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point jump shot (Dean Wade assists) | 9-16 |
| 6:44 | | +3 | Malik Beasley makes three point pullup jump shot (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists) | 12-16 |
| 6:30 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 12-18 |
| 6:20 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo offensive foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 6:20 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:09 | | Brook Lopez blocks Dean Wade's two point cutting dunk | ||
| 6:06 | | Brook Lopez defensive rebound | ||
| 5:54 | | Damian Lillard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:51 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 5:39 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point alley-oop dunk (Caris LeVert assists) | 12-20 |
| 5:25 | | +3 | Pat Connaughton makes three point jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 15-20 |
| 5:05 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point hook shot (Max Strus assists) | 15-22 |
| 4:57 | | Damian Lillard turnover (bad pass) (Max Strus steals) | ||
| 4:52 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point running dunk | 15-24 |
| 4:28 | | +2 | Damian Lillard makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Brook Lopez assists) | 17-24 |
| 4:08 | | Isaac Okoro turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 3:54 | | Bobby Portis misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 3:50 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 3:47 | | Dean Wade misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:46 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 3:36 | | Pat Connaughton turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:26 | | MarJon Beauchamp personal foul (Jarrett Allen draws the foul) | ||
| 3:21 | | Damian Lillard personal foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 3:17 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 17-26 |
| 3:02 | | +3 | Damian Lillard makes three point jump shot (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists) | 20-26 |
| 2:51 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point bank jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 20-28 |
| 2:39 | | Pat Connaughton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:37 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo offensive rebound | ||
| 2:35 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point putback dunk | 22-28 |
| 2:16 | | Caris LeVert misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:14 | | Bobby Portis defensive rebound | ||
| 2:08 | | Bobby Portis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:04 | | MarJon Beauchamp offensive rebound | ||
| 2:00 | | +2 | MarJon Beauchamp makes two point turnaround jump shot | 24-28 |
| 1:53 | | Damian Lillard personal foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 1:53 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:42 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving layup | 24-30 |
| 1:28 | | MarJon Beauchamp misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:24 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 1:11 | | +2 | Georges Niang makes two point cutting layup | 24-32 |
| 0:58 | | +2 | Damian Lillard makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Pat Connaughton assists) | 26-32 |
| 0:51 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving finger roll layup | 26-34 |
| 0:39 | | Pat Connaughton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:36 | | Bucks offensive rebound | ||
| 0:30 | | +3 | MarJon Beauchamp makes three point jump shot (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists) | 29-34 |
| 0:10 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point stepback jump shot | 29-37 |
| 0:05 | | Caris LeVert personal foul (Take) (Damian Lillard draws the foul) | ||
| 0:03 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point alley-oop layup (Khris Middleton assists) | 31-37 |
| 0:00 | | Craig Porter Jr. misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:51 | | Cameron Payne turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 11:35 | | Tristan Thompson misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 11:32 | | Bobby Portis defensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | Tristan Thompson personal foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 11:15 | | Bobby Portis misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 11:12 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | Bobby Portis shooting foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 11:08 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-38 |
| 11:08 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-39 |
| 11:00 | | Cameron Payne misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:57 | | Tristan Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:44 | | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point jump shot (Tristan Thompson assists) | 31-42 |
| 10:22 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo turnover (bad pass) (Georges Niang steals) | ||
| 10:12 | | Sam Merrill misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 10:10 | | Tristan Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 10:05 | | Georges Niang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:04 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 9:51 | | Andre Jackson Jr. turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 9:42 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:39 | | Pat Connaughton defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | Georges Niang blocks Giannis Antetokounmpo's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:31 | | Tristan Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point running layup (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 31-44 |
| 9:30 | | Bucks 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:20 | | Georges Niang shooting foul (Bobby Portis draws the foul) | ||
| 9:20 | | +1 | Bobby Portis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-44 |
| 9:20 | | +1 | Bobby Portis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-44 |
| 9:04 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point pullup jump shot | 33-46 |
| 8:50 | | Brook Lopez misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 8:47 | | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | ||
| 8:42 | | Caris LeVert misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:37 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:32 | | Cameron Payne turnover (traveling) | ||
| 8:20 | | Georges Niang misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | Georges Niang personal foul (Khris Middleton draws the foul) | ||
| 7:59 | | Brook Lopez misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:55 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 7:53 | | Georges Niang misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:51 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | Bobby Portis personal foul (Loose ball) (Tristan Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 7:51 | | Bobby Portis technical foul (Double) | ||
| 7:51 | | Tristan Thompson technical foul (Double) | ||
| 7:42 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point driving layup (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 33-48 |
| 7:16 | | Khris Middleton misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:12 | | Brook Lopez offensive rebound | ||
| 7:12 | | Tristan Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 7:10 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:10 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 7:01 | | Tristan Thompson shooting foul (Khris Middleton draws the foul) | ||
| 7:01 | | +1 | Khris Middleton makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 34-48 |
| 7:01 | | +1 | Khris Middleton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 35-48 |
| 6:44 | | +2 | Tristan Thompson makes two point floating jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 35-50 |
| 6:24 | | Malik Beasley misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:22 | | Tristan Thompson defensive rebound | ||
| 6:14 | | Max Strus misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 6:11 | | Brook Lopez defensive rebound | ||
| 6:09 | | Cameron Payne turnover (traveling) | ||
| 5:52 | | Max Strus turnover (traveling) | ||
| 5:34 | | Damian Lillard misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:31 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo offensive rebound | ||
| 5:28 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point putback dunk | 37-50 |
| 5:12 | | Georges Niang misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 5:09 | | Damian Lillard defensive rebound | ||
| 5:02 | | +3 | Brook Lopez makes three point stepback jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 40-50 |
| 4:53 | | Damian Lillard personal foul (Sam Merrill draws the foul) | ||
| 4:43 | | Donovan Mitchell turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 4:25 | | +3 | Malik Beasley makes three point jump shot (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists) | 43-50 |
| 4:04 | | Dean Wade turnover (bad pass) (Khris Middleton steals) | ||
| 3:59 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point running layup (Khris Middleton assists) | 45-50 |
| 3:59 | | Dean Wade shooting foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 3:59 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 3:57 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 3:50 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:47 | | Khris Middleton defensive rebound | ||
| 3:37 | | Khris Middleton misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:35 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 3:25 | | Caris LeVert misses two point driving layup | ||
| 3:20 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 3:20 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point tip layup | 45-52 |
| 3:10 | | Max Strus blocks Khris Middleton's three point jump shot | ||
| 3:06 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 2:57 | | Caris LeVert turnover (lost ball) (Giannis Antetokounmpo steals) | ||
| 2:43 | | +3 | Malik Beasley makes three point jump shot (Giannis Antetokounmpo assists) | 48-52 |
| 2:21 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point stepback jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists) | 48-54 |
| 2:12 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point cutting dunk (Khris Middleton assists) | 50-54 |
| 2:12 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 1:55 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point jump shot | ||
| 1:52 | |