The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their 24th win of the season with a thorough 124-101 beat down of the Milwaukee Bucks.
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
27 points (9-15 shooting), 6 assists
Mitchell took advantage of Milwaukee’s seemingly tired legs. He forcefully attacked off the dribble and beyond the arc. It was the type of game you want to see from Mitchell even if it wasn’t overly spectacular. He was a big reason why the Cavs’ offense was as good as they were.
Grade: B+
Evan Mobley
15 points (6-10 shooting), 7 rebounds 4 assists
Staying in front of Giannis Antetokounmpo is tough. He did a good job as a help defender and switching onto Antetokounmpo when he needed to. Mobley did however struggle in situations where he was the only big on the floor against Antetokounmpo which is to be expected.
Mobley has improved his strength in recent years, but he was at a significant disadvantage against Antetokounmpo. Giannis was able to back Mobley down and bully his way to the basket like he was able to do against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. This was especially true in the second quarter where Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 33 points.
Mobley had a solid showing on the other side of the ball as he remained aggressive there. That’s what you want to see from Mobley when he’s in a matchup that’s forcing him to work as hard as he had to on defense.
Grade: B
Darius Garland
15 points (6-15 shooting), 5 assists
This was a decent showing from Garland. He kept the offense going, knocked down shots, and was generally in complete control. This was the type of performance he’s made look commonplace this season.
Grade: B
Jarrett Allen
10 points (5-6 shooting), 10 rebounds
Allen drew the primary defensive assignment on Antetokounmpo and he did his job well. He had strong point of attack defense on Antetokounmpo and did an excellent job of switching and helping when needed.
One of my complaints about Allen is that he’s struggled to make his presence felt on either end of the court. That wasn’t the case today even though he was forced into a tough matchup.
Grade: B+
Dean Wade
15 points (5-6 shooting), 5 rebounds, 2 assists
Wade was a big part of Cleveland’s stellar defense against Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo. Having multiple defenders who can switch onto Antetokounmpo and hold their own is something not many teams can boast.
Brook Lopez was Wade’s primary assignment on defense. He did a good of staying with Lopez on the perimeter, switching onto Antetokounmpo, and collapsing to protect the basket when he needed to.
Wade did a good job on offense as well. He took the shots that were open to him within the flow of the offense. It was the exact type of game you want from Wade.
Grade: A
Max Strus
9 points (3-7 shooting), 6 assists, 3 rebounds
Strus very much looked like someone who hadn’t played in an NBA game this season in the first half. He couldn’t find the range on his outside shot and nearly committed what would’ve been a costly and unnecessary turnover at the end of the first quarter. Fortunately for him, it didn’t count as the foul occurred just after the buzzer.
He settled down considerably well in the second half. Strus knocked down some threes, moved the ball well on offense, and was forceful in his off-ball cutting. The Cavs would gladly take the version of Strus they saw in the second half.
Grade: B
Caris LeVert
7 points (3-7 shooting), 4 assists
LeVert wasn’t able to back up his strong performance from Monday. He had a couple of head-scratching plays that have been commonplace in previous years. LeVert opted out of an open three only to dribble into the paint and turn it over. The Cavs also held for the last shot in the second quarter, only for LeVert not to be able to even get an attempt off.
He made up for it at the end of the third by converting a layup with a few seconds left and then stealing the inbound pass and setting up Mitchell for a back-breaking three.
Grade: C+
Sam Merrill
5 points (2-6 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Merrill hit a three and played with energy on defense. That’s what you want him to do when he’s on the court.
Grade: B-
Georges Niang
5 points (2-4 shooting), 2 rebounds
A team with a forceful power forward like Antetokounmpo will be a tough matchup for Niang. He did a solid job of not standing out defensively, which is what you want in a game like this, but he also didn’t make a noticeable impact on offense. It was the odd game where Niang just wasn’t a noticeable factor either way.
Grade: B-
You Jerome
13 points (5-9 shooting), 4 assists
This was the first time in several weeks that Jerome looked like a version of the player he was during his hot stretch a month ago. He buried a couple of triples, was able to knife his way into the lane, and did a good job of running the offense. The Cavs would sign up for a performance like this every night if they could.
