Donovan Mitchell scores 27 points as the Cavs improve to 15-1 at home and outscore the NBA Cup champion Bucks 124-101

Donovan Mitchell scores 27 points as the Cavs improve to 15-1 at home and outscore the NBA Cup champion Bucks 124-101

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers moved to 15-1 at home with a 124-101 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, playing for the first time since winning the NBA Cup

CLEVELAND— Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, Darius Garland added 16 and the Cleveland Cavaliers went 15-1 at home with a 124-101 win Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, playing for the first time since winning the NBA Cup .

Cleveland is 3-0 this season against Milwaukee, which was without All-Star guard Damian Lillard because of a calf strain.

Evan Mobley scored 15 points and Cleveland made 20 three-pointers, improving its league-best record to 24-4.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who may need a few more days to shake off their collective hangover after Tuesday’s Cup victory in Las Vegas.

With Lillard out, the Bucks were without their second-best player and 25.7 points per game. Milwaukee’s starting guards – Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green – combined for 0 of 9 goals.

Bucks: Coach Doc Rivers doesn’t believe Lillard’s injury is “serious” and the team is cautious. … Rivers said it was “weird” to win a tournament and resume play. The turnaround didn’t give Milwaukee’s players much time to recover. Rivers hopes the league will address the narrow window in the future.

Cavaliers: Max Strus made his season debut after being sidelined with an ankle injury. He finished with nine points in 19 minutes.

After Strus made a three-pointer, Caris LeVert dropped a layup and then deflected Milwaukee’s incoming pass. The ball found its way to Mitchell, who sank a three-pointer with 1.1 seconds left in the third quarter, bringing the Cavs to 27 points.

Antetokounmpo was named MVP of the Cup, the ninth trophy the eight-time All-Star and two-time league MVP has won during his career – the most for any player. Michael Jordan and LeBron James each won eight.

The Bucks host Washington on Saturday. It’s also a back-to-back for the Cavaliers hosting Philadelphia.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA

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