NBA Fans Call Out Lillard, Bucks in 40-Point Loss to Mitchell, Cavs with Giannis Out
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The Milwaukee Bucks fell apart Wednesday without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, falling behind 22-2 to start before losing 135-95 to the host Cleveland Cavaliers.
This loss was about as bad as a defeat gets.
The Cavs led by as many as 47 points in the wire-to-wire victory. The Bucks trailed by double digits for the entirety of the final three quarters. Everyone in the Cavs’ starting lineup finished plus-33 or better. Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points in just 26 minutes. Jarrett Allen crushed the Bucks in the paint with a 21-point, 13-rebound evening.
Georges Niang also had the game of his life of the bench, scoring 33 points on 13-of-14 shooting. At halftime, he was outscoring the Bucks’ entire starting unit.
For the Bucks, superstar guard Damian Lillard had a night to forget, shooting just 7-of-20 en route to 17 points as Isaac Okoro shut him down.
Khris Middleton had one of his worst career games, scoring two points on 1-of-10 shooting. Malik Beasley also scored just two points. Cleveland outscored Milwaukee 74-42 in the paint and 33-8 on the fast break.
Simply put, it was a terrible showing for a team that laid an egg. Granted, the Bucks didn’t have Antetokounmpo, but the Cavs are playing without stars Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. That hasn’t stopped them from winning six straight.
During and after the game, fans and analysts called out Lillard and the Bucks for a rough night.
Of course, both Lillard and the Bucks are better of far capable play. The seven-time All-NBA guard entered Wednesday averaging 25.2 points and 6.8 assists. Milwaukee is also averaging the second-most points per game in the league, and the team still sits second in the East at 28-13.
However, Wednesday was simply brutal. The Bucks’ only silver lining is that they have two road games up next against the 4-37 Detroit Pistons on Saturday and Monday. They’ll then look for revenge against the Cavs in a pair of home games next Wednesday and Friday.