The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to keep things competitive in Milwaukee, but ultimately the Bucks came out on top.
It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Milwaukee. While the Cavs have played above expectations up to this point, the fact of the matter is that they do not have the same star power as the reigning champs. The difference in overall talent ultimately made the difference as the Cavaliers found themselves on the wrong side of a 112-104 final score.
It was not a great night for Darius Garland to have a bad night. After two straight games scoring 30+, Garland only managed 10 points on a 3-12 shooting effort. While expecting Garland to continue to score in that range is not realistic, somewhere between 10 and 30 is more than reasonable.
With Garland struggling someone had to pick up the scoring load and that someone was Jarrett Allen. Allen scored a team-high 25 points while making 10 of 12 shots from the field and all five free throws. Although Allen’s double-double streak came to an end at seven after only collecting nine rebounds.
The second-highest scorer for the Cavaliers was Lauri Markkanen with 20 points on 7-15 from the field (4-9 3PT). When an opponent can force Markkanen to be the second-highest scorer that is not a good sign. Markkanen is a fine player, but should not be leading the team in field goal attempts.
Kevin Love was the highest-scoring bench player in the contest with 15 points. Love only attempted three-pointers and went 5-11 from deep.
Now losers of two straight, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now 13-12 on the year and are in ninth in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is averaging just 104.6 points per game, which is the third-fewest in the conference and could be a sign of things to come moving forward. The Cavs have a chance to end their losing streak Wednesday at home as they take on the Chicago Bulls.
