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    • The Cavaliers defeated the Bucks 114-113, handing them their fifth straight loss
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    The Cavaliers defeated the Bucks 114-113, handing them their fifth straight loss

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard did their best to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum, but despite both playing nearly 40 minutes and combining for 75 points, the Bucks lost their fifth straight game with 114-113 to fall to 1-5 per year.

    The Cavaliers, playing for the second night in a row, won their seventh straight to start the year.

    Cleveland led 111-109 in the final minutes and outrebounded Milwaukee with back-to-back offensive rebounds that led to a Jarrett Allen free throw that gave the Cavaliers a 112-109 lead with 80 seconds left.

    MORE: Box Score | Bucks schedule | NBA rankings

    A hook shot from Antetokounmpo brought the Bucks within one point with 1:08 left, and then Brook Lopez knocked down an Allen dunk attempt with 40.6 seconds left and Antetokounmpo forced a hard miss from Donovan Mitchell with 24.8 seconds left from 15 feet to send the Bucks flying the other way.

    Allen stopped a drive attempt by Antetokounmpo, and the Bucks called a timeout with 14.9 left to line up Lillard in halfcourt – and he dropped a 15-foot stepback over Isaac Okoro with 9.8 left to give the Bucks a pass giving them a lead of 114-113.

    It proved to be 9.5 seconds too much, as Donovan Mitchell parried two near-turnovers (one inbounds after a Cleveland timeout) and a lost ball against good defense by Gary Trent Jr. for a 19-footer Cleveland had a 114-113 lead with 0.3 remaining.

    Lillard made a 31-foot throw from an incoming Taurean Prince, but it narrowly missed.

    Lillard scored 41 points on 13 of 24 shooting, including a 10-of-15 mark from behind the three-point line. He also handed out nine assists. Antetokounmpo scored 34 points on 15 of 27 shooting, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out nine assists.

    Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 30 points on 11 of 25 shooting. Sam Merrill had a big performance off the bench for Cleveland, making five three-pointers and scoring 17 points. Darius Garland had 11 points and 10 assists while Allen had 15 points and 12 rebounds.

    Prince had 16 points for the Bucks, while Bobby Portis Jr. added 10 off the bench.

    Bucks shooters start hot, cool down

    One game after Milwaukee went 9-for-42 from behind the three-point line in a blowout loss at Memphis, it began its game against Cleveland by going 7-for-11 from distance.

    Five of those threes were by Damian Lillard, and it helped the Bucks to a 9-0 lead to start the game and a 33-17 lead after a triple by Brook Lopez with 4 minutes, 43 seconds left in the first quarter.

    Although 63.6% could no longer be maintained from a distance, they remained disproportionately cold from then on.

    Lillard, Lopez and Gary Trent Jr. hit three crucial three-pointers in the fourth quarter to tie the game at 109 in the final minutes.

    Milwaukee finished the game 18 for 39 from deep – a very good 46.2% – but the 39% after the first quarter was effectively offset by Cleveland's 39.5% mark (15 for 38) for the game.

    Bucks are still waiting for Khris Middleton

    Although Bucks head coach Doc Rivers had a good practice at an Oct. 30 practice in Boston and a shootout at Memphis on Oct. 31, he said before Saturday's game that they are still waiting for Khris Middleton to come to practice is released five against five.

    The Bucks have Sunday off before traveling to Cleveland to play the Cavaliers on Monday. Tuesday and Wednesday are rest days, and then the team plays two home games against Utah and New York on November 7th and 8th.

    MarJon Beauchamp talks about Bucks declining his option

    The Bucks declined MarJon Beauchamp's fourth-year rookie option on Oct. 31, meaning the No. 24 pick in the 2022 draft can become an unrestricted free agent after this season.

    “I needed this to light a fire under me,” he told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday. “So I know who I am and I know what kind of basketball player I am, so I'm not really excited about that. I know that my work will always be visible, and as long as I believe in myself, I don't worry about it much. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, you know? I’m still worrying right now and controlling what I can control.”

    Beauchamp has yet to find his footing with the Bucks under three different head coaches, spending most of his playing time when veterans ahead of him on the roster were injured. The 24-year-old played in every game this season, but only after the results had already been determined.

    “My back is against the wall,” he said. “I've been doing this my whole life, so I enjoy being in this position. I feel like it's making me hungry. Whenever I get my chance, you will see it.

    “I feel like I'm doing my best in those little two, three minutes that I'm out there. I just control what I can control in those two or three minutes. I'm just waiting for an opportunity. I know I can be out there to help the team. So I’ll just wait for it.”

    5 numbers

    • 3: Damian Lillard missed free throws in the first quarter, his most in a game since three missed shots against Houston on Jan. 6. His career high in a game is four, which he did eight times in Portland. The last time he missed that many shots in a game was January 24, 2023.
    • 25%: Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. shot from behind the three-point line after a 1-for-7 performance from deep against the Cavaliers this season. In six games this season, he is now 9 of 36 from behind the three-point line. A free agent from Toronto, Trent entered the year at a career 38.6% rate from deep and hit 39.3% of his triples for the Raptors last year.
    • 48: Damian Lillard's place on the all-time assists list when he passed Larry Bird with his sixth assist of the night against the Cavaliers – a win for Giannis Antetokounmpo late in the first half.
    • 2015: The last time the Bucks lost six games in a row was March 12-22 in the 2014-15 season. Milwaukee snaps its five-game losing streak against Cleveland on Monday.
    • November 28, 2018: Date Damian Lillard last made ten three-pointers in a game when he scored 41 points for Portland against Orlando.

    What channel is the Bucks game on?

    The game begins at 7 p.m. on FanDuel Sports Network with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson and Melanie Ricks.

    Is Giannis playing?

    Yes. He has been suffering from tendonitis in his right kneecap since pre-season, but so far he has not appeared to be affected in any way.

    More: Analysis: Should the Milwaukee Bucks actually have championship expectations?

    Cavaliers injury report

    • Caris LeVert is out (right knee pain)
    • Max Strus is out (right ankle sprain)
    • Jaylon Tyson is out (left hip sprain)
    • Craig Porter Jr., probable (right thumb sprain)

    Bucks starter

    • Guards: Damian Lillard, Gary Trent Jr.
    • Forward: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bull Prince
    • Center: Brook Lopez

    More: The Bucks are in win-now mode, but financial flexibility around Giannis and Lillard is coming

    Bucks vs. Cavaliers odds, over/under

    Milwaukee is a slight 1.5-point favorite over Cleveland and the over/under is 231.5 points, according to BetMGM.

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    Kathleen William
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