Giannis Antetokounmpo's 45 points not enough for Bucks to rally as they fall 114-106 to Cavaliers

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Cavaliers won their fifth straight game and first over the Milwaukee Bucks this season with a 114-106 victory Wednesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. The victory also prevented the Bucks (22-9) from claiming the tiebreaker over the Cavaliers (22-11). The teams will meet for the fourth and final time of the regular season in Cleveland on Jan. 21.

Here are some takeaways from the game:

Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly led Bucks to victory

The league’s fourth-leading scorer had his fifth game of 40 or more points, scoring a season-high 45 on 17 of 27 shooting (including 11 of 16 from the free throw line), and he nearly willed his team to a victory after the Bucks fell behind by as many as 24 points. Antetokounmpo was nearly impossible for the Cavaliers to stop, even with a pair of excellent big rim protectors in Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley inside and a crafty big man in Kevin Love (who came in leading the league in charges drawn).

Antetokounmpo pounded the paint for 28 points, but for too long he was the only Bucks player who had any semblance of an offensive game. He scored 21 of the Bucks' 42 first half points, and had 29 of their 77 after three quarters.

The shooting struggles of his teammates almost didn’t matter, though.

Antetokounmpo's baseline fadeaway from 12-feet that rolled around the cylinder several times before falling in pulled the Bucks to within eight late in the fourth quarter, and he got them to within six with 39 seconds left.

“He had an aggressive mindset the whole game," Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said. "He really put us on his back on a night when I think collectively we need to be better. But his determination, his will, again, we were close. We had a chance. We had some big possessions where we make one or two more shots, maybe we can get over the hump or make it a one possession game or two possession game. Giannis was phenomenal tonight. His individual attack against a very good defender in Allen and a very good defensive team, he kept us in it.”

Unfortunately, that weight on his shoulders also led to some moments in the second half where Antetokounmpo tried to will his way to the basket through three and four defenders, resulting in a turnover, heavy contact or a missed chance near the rim.

It was a vintage performance for the Bucks’ MVP candidate, but the Cavaliers’ just had a little too much for Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.

“I think he always does it ," Bucks guard Jrue Holiday said. "I think when we have a bad night, for the most part he’s going to try and will us into having a good offensive game. He’s going to try to will us to keep us going. You could hear him the whole time. He keeps on telling us to get stops, get stops, get stops and then offensively just kind of takes off. I also think its vice versa. On the nights where he’s not getting the calls, not getting to the line or making shots, I feel like as a team we kind of pick him up, too. I think it’s a good balance.”

Jarrett Allen returned big for Cavaliers

The Cavaliers all-star center missed the first game between the teams on Nov. 16 and played 12 minutes on Nov. 25 before exiting after a hard fall, and it was no surprise second-year player Evan Mobley and backup center Robin Lopez struggled in handling Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. Brook Lopez scored a then-season high 29 points in the first game and Antetokounmpo had 38 points in the second.

Allen provided a steady presence in the paint for the Cavaliers, even if he couldn’t quite wrangle Antetokounmpo any better than his teammates the last time. That said, he did individually defend the Bucks’ star strongly enough in the fourth quarter to force missed shots around the rim, preventing Milwaukee from pulling within single digits until the final minutes.

The pair of big men also traded dunks on one another, leading to a bit of trash talk between the two.

“I love that," Antetokounmpo said. "He’s not backing down. I’m not backing down. He’s a great player, a great teammate, loves to play the game of basketball and I respect that. Whenever I’m on the court with him, I try to go at him. And he’s tried to go at me as well, so I respect him.”

BOX SCORE: Cavaliers 114, Bucks 106

Allen helped force a Holiday missed layup as the Bucks tired to get within seven points in the last minute.

The Cavaliers leader finished with 19 points and eight rebounds, but he also battled for loose balls, creating extra opportunities for his teammates.

“We played it a little differently this time around, but he played well,” Brook Lopez said of Allen. “He played with a lot of energy, he got some good looks and he made good plays.”

His return also helped pave the way for the Cavaliers to have a 54-46 advantage in points in the paint, even though fellow big man Mobley was plagued by foul trouble. Lopez had to respect Allen’s movement on offense enough to go with him, allowing other Cavaliers chances for easier looks inside.

Uninspiring first half too much to overcome for Bucks

It’s not going to be a good night when Holiday and Lopez have nearly as many turnovers as points and that was the case in a first half that saw the Cavaliers take a 60-42 lead into the break.

The Bucks point guard and center combined for seven turnovers against eight points (on 3 of 9 combined shooting) as the Cavs led by as many as 22. The 42 points by the Bucks was just one point better than their season-low in Memphis, when they lost by 41 points on Dec. 15.

“They were very aggressive tonight," Budenholzer said of the Cavaliers. "They came out with just a mindset defensively to be disruptive I think. I think you’ve got to give them credit for our first half turnovers.

"I don’t think it was one of our better nights, but defensively they were good. And offensively there were times where they just had more energy. Their activity to the boards in the first half stood out and they just went out and got a couple that, you can call them 50-50 balls or just wanting it. Their aggressiveness defensively to create turnovers, their aggressiveness on the boards in the first half – we were in a big hole.

"Credit to our guys. I liked the way they fought to get back, close it, to give themselves a chance, but the hole was too deep.”

Milwaukee turned it over 16 times as a team in the first half, resulting in 17 points for Cleveland. The Cavaliers also had 13 second-chance points.

“The biggest part is us defensive rebounding – a lot of second chance points,” Holiday said. “And then really trying to crack the defense. They really packed the paint. They made it difficult, and then they try to run you off the three, too. We were just trying to figure it all out. I think when it gets kind of crazy and hectic you try to do yourself, or try to figure it out yourself, instead of letting the ball do it. I think that’s kind of where the turnovers and stuff came in and they got transition points.”

“We definitely made it tough on ourselves," Lopez added. "I wasn’t proud of my performance at all. But, we showed great resolve. The group that was in there from the end of the third through the whole fourth was fantastic, keeping the energy going, keeping the bleep going and chipping away at the lead and that’s what we’re gonna need down the line in the playoffs in those situations."

Unlike in Memphis, the Bucks got back into this one with a late second half rally, which is something Lopez felt even a veteran team can build off of.

"Absolutely. Absolutely," he said. "It's not always the most fun thing to do when you lose, but every night is a learning experience. There’s a lot we can take away from it and it will serve us well in April, May, June.”

Such sloppy play wasn’t going to be enough to overcome against a Cavaliers team that came into the game with the NBA’s No. 1 scoring defense (104.4 points per game) and with the No. 1 defensive rating (106.7), which is points allowed per 100 possessions. Milwaukee came in No. 4 in scoring defense (108.8) and second in defensive rating (107.8) – and they did cut a 20-point second quarter deficit down to just nine – but there were just too many easy baskets off too many extra possessions for the Bucks to get to get closer than that in the opening 24 minutes.

Marques Johnson nominated for Hall of Fame

Bucks legend and current television analyst Marques Johnson has once again been nominated for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. He has been a finalist for basketball’s biggest honor the last four years. He is already a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame.

Finalists will be announced on Feb. 17 during NBA All-Star Weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Class of 2023 will be announced on April 1.

NBA all-star voting has opened

Bucks fans can vote for the all-star game through 10:59 p.m. on Jan. 21 at games, www.nba.com or through the league’s mobile application. The ballot includes three frontcourt and two backcourt players and the fan vote will count toward 50% of the total for starters (along with a player and media panel vote). The starters will be announced on Jan. 26 and the rest of the roster will be announced on Feb. 2.

The all-star game will be held in Utah on Feb. 19 at 7 p.m.

Antetokounmpo will likely break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s franchise record for most selections as a Bucks player with his seventh. Other current Bucks with all-star experience are Khris Middleton (three times), Holiday (2012-13 with Philadelphia) and Lopez (2012-13 with Brooklyn).

Pat Connaughton (2020 slam dunk competition) and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (2022 skills competition) have participated in all-star festivities as well.

5 numbers

0 Assists in the first quarter for the Bucks, who scored 20 points on seven baskets.

9 Of the Bucks’ 10 lowest-scoring games of the season have come on the road. The Bucks are 3-6 in those road games.

8-6 Milwaukee’s record on the road. They were one of only seven teams to have a winning record away from home entering the night.

16-2 Cleveland’s record at home, which is the best in the NBA. Minnesota (Nov. 13) and Sacramento (Dec. 9) as the only teams to win in Cleveland this year.

50 Percent of the Bucks points scored by Antetokounmpo in the first half. He had 21 on 7 of 10 shooting from the floor and a 7-for-11 mark from the free throw line. The rest of his team? The other nine Bucks who played combined for 21 points on 8 of 28 (28.6%) shooting, including a 4-for-11 effort from behind the three-point line.

Play of the game is Cedi Osman dunking off an inbound pass

The Bucks were sloppy throughout the first half of Wednesday’s game, but Budenholzer was beside himself at the 9:43 mark of the second quarter when Cedi Osman took off after a made Giannis Antetokounmpo free throw and Kevin Love rifled the inbound pass downcourt for an easy dunk. It gave the Cavaliers a 22-point lead at the time. And while that technically wasn’t a turnover (the Bucks had 10 at that point, resulting in 12 Cavaliers points), it was the kind of mental error the Bucks shouldn’t make. To compound the issue, Holiday lost the ball out of bounds on the ensuing possession out of the timeout.

Video of the game is Jrue Holiday's banked in buzzer beater

With 2.7 seconds left in the third quarter, Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell banked in a 38-foot three-pointer over Holiday to give his team a 93-74 lead. Holiday then responded by banking in a 39-footer over Mitchell.

Bucks injury report

• Khris Middleton (right knee soreness), is out.

Who do the Bucks play next?

Milwaukee heads to New York to play one of the hottest teams in the NBA in the Brooklyn Nets, who have coalesced under new head coach Jacque Vaughn. After a tumultuous offseason and start to the year, Kevin Durant has dominated and is once again in the MVP conversation in averaging over 30 points per game. Kyrie Irving has settled in and is averaging over 26 points per game.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis scores 45 points but it's not enough for Bucks in loss to Cavs