CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers extended their winning streak to six games and earned some payback Wednesday night with a 135-95 blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The Cavs are in the midst of their longest winning streak this season, and they have gone 11-3 since announcing Dec. 15 starting point guard Darius Garland (jaw surgery) and starting forward Evan Mobley (knee surgery) would miss significant time.
One of those three defeats occurred on Dec. 29, when the Cavs fell 119-111 to the visiting Bucks.
Bucks stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard scored 34 and 31 points, respectively.
However, the Bucks ruled out Antetokounmpo for the rematch due to a right shoulder contusion. Lillard had 17 points.
In the first Cavs-Bucks meeting this season, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 34 points. Center Jarrett Allen posted a career-high 30 points to go along with 12 rebounds.
Mitchell entered Wednesday’s game 30 points away from reaching 11,000 regular-season points in his career and reached the milestone in the third quarter. He finished with 31 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Allen continued his hot streak with a 10th consecutive double-double, the best statistical stretch of his career. He had 21 points and 13 rebounds.
The Cavs (24-15) snapped what had been a three-game winning streak for the Bucks (28-13).
Below is some information about the fourth quarter.
Cavs backup forward Georges Niang sets new career high in scoring
Like an NBA Jam player, Georges Niang had a scorching shooting performance. The reserve forward made a 3-pointer with 10:30 left in the fourth quarter to give the Cavs a 116-69 lead. The 47-point advantage was their largest of the game.
With 7:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, Niang made a finger-roll layup, prompting teammate Tristan Thompson to jog along the sideline while mimicking the shot.
Niang reached a career-high 33 points. His previous single-game best was 24 points, which he produced three times.
Below is some information about the third quarter.
Cavs repeatedly boost lead over Bucks to 42 points in the third quarter
A layup by Mitchell with 3:23 left in the third quarter and three successful free throws by Caris LeVert with 1:17 remaining in the third quarter put the Cavs ahead by 42 points on two separate occasions.
…
(Continues)