Cavaliers 116, Bucks 97: Bad third quarter leads to loss

The Milwaukee Bucks have a young, up-and-coming team featuring one of the most unique talents in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has dominated the national headlines all week. The Bucks believe they have the pieces in place to compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season.

Friday's home opener showed they're not quite ready yet.

Facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, the kings of the Eastern Conference three years running, the Bucks struggled down the stretch in a 116-97 loss at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. A team that showed signs of maturity in gutting out a win in the season opener at Boston, the Bucks couldn't put together that same intensity in the final quarter on the way to dropping their third straight home opener, their last at the Bradley Center.

BOX SCORE: Cavs 116, Bucks 97

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“The Cavs are one of the best teams in the East and we’re getting there," said Antetokounmpo, who battled for 34 points on 14-of-22 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists in 38 1/2 minutes. "We’re improving on a daily basis but we’ve got to take a lot of steps forward to be where we want to be, to achieve our goals.”

The pendulum swung in Cleveland's favor for good in the latter stages of the third quarter. After Antetokounmpo pulled the Bucks within three with a 5-0 spurt with 4:25 left in the quarter, Milwaukee committed the cardinal sin of losing sharpshooter Kyle Korver.

Then the Bucks did it again.

And again.

In the blink of an eye, a tight game was blown wide open as a trio of Korver three-pointers put the Cavaliers up by 12 and ignited a 15-3 quarter-ending run from which the Bucks would never recover.

"You have to give Cleveland credit for finding him," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said. "LeBron knows where he is at all times. Those three threes hurt us.

Clearly in control, the Cavaliers pushed their lead further behind eight fourth-quarter points from LeBron James, who led Cleveland with 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds. Kevin Love (17 points), Jae Crowder (14) and Derrick Rose (12) provided plenty of backup to James.

Midway through the fourth, Antetokounmpo tried to ignite his teammates with a bucket followed by one of his fearsome fast breaks. James was the sole man between Antetokounmpo and the basket and the four-time MVP let the 22-year-old go past him.

It was just a setup, a move that in essence reminded everyone watching who's still the King. James swatted Antetokounmpo's shot off the backboard then stroked a three-pointer at the other end to put the Cavaliers up by 15.

“I’m nothing; I’m not on that level," Antetokounmpo said moments after ESPN broadcaster Doris Burke sung his praises loud enough for the whole Bucks locker room to hear while calling a game between the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans.

"LeBron James is one of the best players in the league and one of the best players to ever play the game. It’s good going against him, but I don’t think about that. I’m just Giannis. I’m just trying to (do) whatever it takes for my team to win.”

Milwaukee nearly closed the gap to nine points with under three minutes left, but a three-pointer by Malcolm Brogdon missed the mark.

The Bucks hitched their wagon to three-point attempts and it didn't pay off as they went 11 of 35 from long range. Brogdon, who had 16 points, connected on 4 of 9, but Khris Middleton continued his early-season shooting swoon, missing all five of his threes.

"(Antetokounmpo) did a really good job trying to find the open guy and being aggressive," Kidd said. "He scored a lot of points but he needs his teammates to make some open shots and take the pressure off him."

Korver's three-pointers were part of a three-point barrage by the Cavaliers in the second half. After going 2 of 11in the first half, Cleveland buried the Bucks by making 9 of 15 triples in the second.

When Cleveland wasn't firing from beyond the arc it was owning the inside en route to 64 points in the paint on 32-of-45 shooting.

“We gave them a lot of open looks and with a team like that getting open looks it’s hard to defend because then the paint is wide open," Antetokounmpo said.

Now the Bucks need to turn around for a Saturday matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, who have dominated their first two opponents while averaging 119 points per game.

"We've got a tough task no matter who we're playing," Kidd said. "We haven't accomplished anything. People might think that we're good but we have to go out there and earn that. We still have a ways to go."

BEHIND THE BOX SCORE

Battle of the benches: Led by 17 points from Korver, Cleveland's bench made a notable difference. The Cavaliers' reserves accounted for 45 points and every player had a positive plus-minus.

Milwaukee's bench wasn't nearly as effective. Eight players combined for 23 points. Greg Monroe had the highest scoring output with eight points, but the Bucks were outscored by 15 in his 18 minutes on the court. Jason Terry, in his first appearance of the season, missed four shots, including 3 three-pointers, in 17 minutes.

Slow start: Middleton, who has established himself as one of Milwaukee's top shooting threats, hasn't looked like himself in the first two games. He's a combined 9 of 27, including just 1 of 10 on three-pointers.

"It's Game 2," Kidd said. "None of us will remember Game 2. You have slow starts, you have quick starts but it's how you finish the marathon. Right now, we're not going to panic about Khris not making shots. He's going to make shots. That's who he is."

UP NEXT

Teams: Portland Trail Blazers (2-0) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (1-1).

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday.

Where: BMO Harris Bradley Center.

About the Trail Blazers: The Trail Blazers decimated the Phoenix Suns on the road Wednesday night, 124-76, recording the largest opening-night win in league history. That win came without the help of 2016 Most Improved Player C.J. McCollum, who was suspended for leaving the bench during a preseason incident. Saturday's trip to Milwaukee marks the end of a three-game, season-opening trip for Portland. The Trail Blazers have not won at the Bradley Center since Nov. 20, 2013. Last season the Bucks won both meetings despite Blazers star Damian Lillard averaging 30.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 2.0 steals.