Bucks Zone

Giannis Antetokounmpo-less Milwaukee Bucks lose badly to the Cleveland Cavaliers

Giannis’ absence proved too much to overcome for the Bucks.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks heavily felt the pinch of Giannis Antetokounmpo's absence as they succumbed to a blowout 95-135 loss at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.

Giannis was sidelined with a bruised right shoulder, and the Cavaliers were quick to pounce on his absence as they raced to a blistering 22-2 start.

One-sided contest

Cleveland led big at the half, 66-41, and the outcome of the contest was practically sealed when the Cavaliers posted a whopping 108-67 advantage after three quarters of play. Cleveland's biggest lead stood at 47 points as it easily padded its winning run to six and improved to 24-15 in the season.

The Cavaliers also avenged their 111-119 loss to the Bucks during their first meeting on December 29th.The loss snapped Milwaukee's three-game winning streak as it faltered in the first game of a three-game road trip.

The Bucks, who stayed at second place in the Eastern Conference with a 28-13 record,  will play their next two games against the Detroit Pistons.

Milwaukee's two other stars struggle

Damian Lillard led Milwaukee with 17 points but shot just 7-for-20 from the field. With Giannis, Khris Middleton was expected to carry a heavier load for the Bucks, but the veteran shooter just scored two points on a dismal 1-for-10 shooting night.

Jae Crowder played his first game since November 11th and finished with 15 points in 15 minutes of playing time.

Georges Niang led the Cavaliers with a career-high 33 points, making 13 of his 14 attempts from the field. Donovan Mitchell also played big for the Cavaliers as he fired 31 points. Jarret Allen came up with a solid double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds.

The contest was the first of three games between the Bucks and Cavs in nine days. After facing Detroit on Saturday and Monday, the Bucks will return home to play two straight games against Cleveland.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.