Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks were five points and 12 minutes away from knocking off the No. 1 team in the Eastern Conference, but they just couldn’t quite finish that tall task on the road.
Milwaukee trailed the Cleveland Cavaliers by just four points going into the fourth quarter, but the defending East champions were too strong on the boards. The Cavs pulled down 17 offensive rebounds for 20 second-chance points en route to a 113-104 win.
“The energy and the effort was there,” Coach Kidd said. “You have to look at the little things—the offensive rebounding, we understand what we have to do there. Especially in that fourth quarter. It just comes down to effort and finishing plays. We’ll give that effort on the offensive end, we have to figure out how to do it on the defensive end.”
Jabari Parker went toe-to-toe with LeBron James and Kevin Love in the first quarter. Parker had eight points, but Love and James counter with nine and eight, respectively, to give the Cavs a 35-25 advantage after one.
Milwaukee looked to the interior, and to big man John Henson off the bench to take its turn in the second quarter. The Bucks outscored the Cavs 18-12 in the paint behind 12 points from Henson.
Coach Kidd slid Henson and Miles Plumlee into the lineup alongside his top two playmakers, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Middleton had the offense humming with eight assists, while Antetokounmpo added eight points.
“I liked what John and Miles did with the starters,” said the Milwaukee head coach. “We’re getting John used to guarding perimeter guys. He’s used to being in the pain, protecting the rim, so it’s a little different, but he’s making an adjustment. There were a lot of good things with that group on the floor.”
The terrific second quarter came to a crescendo when Parker swiped an errant pass by James and took it the other way for a dunk that knotted it at 61. But on the very next play came a taste of what ultimately sunk Jason’s crew. After a missed three by James, Tristan Thompson tipped it back up and in to put Cleveland ahead 63-61 at the break.
“Thompson coming off the bench hurt us,” Jason said. “Offensive rebounds, that’s something that has been a problem for us all year.”
Antetokounmpo gave the Bucks their first lead of the game at 67-65 with a 19-foot jump shot at the 10:18 mark in the third quarter. A James three-pointer put Cleveland right back in front, but Jerryd Bayless gave the Bucks the lead once again with a floater, but Love came through for the home team with back-to-back treys to put the Cavs on top for good.
Cleveland pushed its lead to 10 late in the third quarter, but the Bucks came charging back. Former Cavalier Jared Cunningham, in just his third game in a Bucks uniform came up with a critical play late in the period. He pulled down a defensive board and pushed the issue, earning a conventional three-point play in transition.
“Since he’s been here, he’s been one of our best cutters and one of our best on-ball defenders,” Jason said. “The things he’s done with his minutes on the floor have been a plus.”
Tyler Ennis then closed the quarter with a mid-range jumper to make it just a four-point game, 91-87, with 12 minutes to play.
Coach Kidd started the fourth quarter with his second unit on the floor, and they forced three consecutive Cleveland misses to open the period. But they couldn’t muster any offense themselves. Milwaukee didn’t score in the fourth until Plumlee dropped a hook shot at the 7:55 mark, after Middleton, Antetokounmpo and Bayless had re-entered the game.
“It’s a four-point game to start the fourth, but we just couldn’t score with that group that started the fourth,” Jason admitted. “I want to see those guys play. No matter what the score is, those guys have to find a way to score the ball.”
With their top offensive options on the floor, the Bucks cut the Cleveland lead down to six on four separate occasions—the last one coming courtesy a driving layup by Bayless. But the Cavs responded each time. The final answer came on a trifecta from the corner by J.R. Smith with 20.2 seconds to go, which effectively ended the Milwaukee rally.
“We got down 10, but the guys who came in kept fighting,” Jason said. “We got it to six, but that big 3 in the corner by J.R. kind of sealed the game. That’s what he does.”
NEXT UP
The Bucks travel to Atlanta to face the Hawks (42-30) Friday. The Hawks are on a roll as of late, winning seven of their last eight games.
Both times these teams have met this season, the game has gone past regulation to finish. The Bucks have won both meetings. On Jan. 15, Milwaukee won 108-101 in overtime at home. On Feb. 20, the Bucks won 117-109 in double overtime in Atlanta.
The game tips at 7 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Wisconsin.
