No win in the NBA is easy, and the Cleveland Cavaliers' 114-106 home victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday night assured that claim.
Though the Cavs led by as many as 24 points at one point of the game, the Bucks managed to work themselves back into the contest during the deep stages of the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to four with 2:21 remaining.
When asked what showed out best about the Cavs during the win, Donovan Mitchell answered: "Our resiliency. You get up 20 or 21 against a team like this, it's hard to keep them down. They're going to continue to fight...There's no way they just roll over, especially a team like this, sending a message to an Eastern Conference opponent."
Much of Milwaukee's fight was shouldered on the stellar performance by star Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led both teams with a season-high 45 points - including 16 points in the final period.
Antetokounmpo frequently found the basket late, but the Cavs managed to stave off the two-time league MVP just enough to win.
"You can't really guard Giannis with just one person," said Mitchell. "At the end of the day, he had 45, but we won. We made it tough, and we did a lot of really solid things on the offensive end."
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff commented on the Greek Freak's paint presence after the win: "He's one of the most forceful, if not the most forceful, players in our league. He's built for the way the rules are. He's extremely difficult to stop, but I thought we did a good job of challenging, contesting, trying to take charges on him...We eliminated other people, and that's when they're at their best - when he's attack-minded."
With Brook Lopez's 14 points being the second-highest individual scoring effort for the Bucks, Cleveland showed a slightly more balanced offensive output for the game, with Mitchell (36 points), Darius Garland (23 points), and Jarrett Allen (19 points) guiding the offense.
Tuesday's game featured a number of explosive offensive plays, including a rarity: back-to-back 3-pointers...off the backboard.
Mitchell drilled a lengthy left-wing bank shot with 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter, giving the Cavs a seeming 93-74 lead going into the final quarter. However, Jrue Holiday responded with a buzzer-beating trey, stunning the initially boisterous Fieldhouse crowd.
The Cavs also continued their dominance on their home court this season, improving their record to a currently league-best 16-2 when at the Fieldhouse.
