CLEVELAND, OHIO – FEBRUARY 5 (Photo by Jason Miller / Getty Images)
The Milwaukee Bucks A six-game road trip kicked off with a matchup against a prominent rival of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Cleveland jumped out early and after 24 minutes behind the Bucks were between 63-60 at halftime. Milwaukee came out with an immediate sense of urgency in the second half, beating the Cavaliers by 21 points over the last two quarters. In the end, Milwaukee took their 14th win of the season after beating Cleveland 123-105 and extended their winning streak to three games.
Giannis Antetokounmpo paved the way for the bucks with 33 points, 12 rebounds and four assists in 33 minutes of burn. Along with the big night of the Greek freak, there were some notable areas that stood out in this win, both good and bad.
Without further ado, here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s double-digit win over Cleveland on Friday night.
First success after defeating Cleveland Cavaliers – Milwaukee Bucks fight from outside
The Bucks were competing against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday when a team shot lights out from behind the arch. The Bucks heated up a total of 42 triples in the last two games and were definitely keen to continue that streak by taking advantage of the Cavaliers’ bottom five 3-point defenses to the best of their ability.
It was just the opposite, however, as they had one of their worst shooting nights of the season. Surprisingly, the bucks only shot 7 of 22 behind the bow (31.8 percent) and could not find a rhythm from a distance.
When Milwaukee shoots such a below average percentage from a distance, they usually have no chance of staying ahead no matter how impressive the opponent is. This game proved to be a rare exception as the Bucks used those 21 points out of triple points to finish the night with an astonishing 123 points.
It undoubtedly helped that the Cavaliers managed to shoot only 11 of 32 out of range themselves. Otherwise this matchup could have turned ugly quickly Milwaukee’s lackluster 3 point defense. Despite fighting from below, the bucks managed to increase the score by putting together a dominant performance in the post.