Cavs Insider

Georges Niang’s Career Night Steers Cavs To Sixth Straight Victory

The veteran forward tallied career-highs of 33 points and 13 field goals off the bench in Cleveland's win over Milwaukee.

Logan Potosky

Georges Niang’s Career Night Steers Cavs To Sixth Straight Victory
Georges Niang’s Career Night Steers Cavs To Sixth Straight Victory /
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This past offseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers signed forward Georges Niang to a three-year, $26 million contract in free agency.

The primary reason for this signing? To add a talented shooter to the roster.

Entering this season, Niang was one of just 10 NBA players to drain at least 500 three-pointers while shooting at least 40% from behind the arc over the previous five campaigns.

Tonight, the 30-year-old showed exactly why the Cavaliers decided to make him an integral part of their rotation.

Niang led all players with a career-high 33 points, career-high 13 field goals, and season-high five three-pointers off the bench in the Wine and Gold’s 135-95 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He ultimately shot 13-for-14 (92.9%) from the field, 5-for-6 (83.3%) from three-point range, and 2-for-3 (66.7%) from the free throw line.

Jan 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Georges Niang (20) drives to the basket against Milwaukee Bucks forward Jae Crowder (99) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse / © Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

According to @CavsNotes on X, Niang’s 92.9% field-goal percentage tied Cleveland’s franchise record for highest field-goal percentage in a game (minimum 13 attempts), joining both Brad Daugherty, who was on the call for tonight’s Bally Sports Great Lakes broadcast, and Elmore Smith.

Most of Niang’s damage was done in the first half, when he led all players with 20 points. The veteran forward had a perfect shooting half, going 8-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from deep.

After the game, Cavaliers Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff reflected on Niang's terrific performance.

“I mean, the ball was going in. We know what he's capable of. I think one of the things that we've seen is there's more to his game than a spot shooter. You look at the touch that he has once he's able to get in the paint, how he can use his body to create those shots. He caught a rhythm, his teammates kept finding him, and he kept shooting it with confidence."

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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