Pre-Season Game 3: Milwaukee Bucks 110, Cleveland Cavaliers 101 Notes and Reactions
Oct 13, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; The Milwaukee Bucks bench celebrates a three-point basket in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Take a deep sigh of relief, Bucks fans. Everything is, in fact, OK.
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After starting slowly for the second straight game, the Bucks bench came on strong in the fourth quarter, overwhelming the Cavs 35-23 in the period en route to their first pre-season victory.
O.J. Mayo played his best game of the pre-season, scoring 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks ran away with the game.
On a night where Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play, John Henson took on an increased role. He looked lively, aggressive, and (most importantly) like a player worth a 44 million dollar contract.
Henson finished the game with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks; and somewhere John Hammond is patting himself on the back for re-signing the big fella.
Hammond deserves another giant pat for drafting Rashad Vaughn.
The rookie continued his eye-popping pre-season with his third consecutive double-digit scoring performance, this time with 19 (tying Greg Monroe as the game’s high scorer).
Defensively the Bucks struggled with fouls, particularly against Richard Jefferson, who reached the free throw line 12 times. Collectively the Cavs took 44 free throws to the Bucks 26.
Aside from foul trouble the defense made life difficult for the Cavs all night–forcing the home team to a paltry 35.1 percent from the field.
That’s the sort of defensive effort that buoyed the Bucks to a playoff berth last season. Expect more of that once the regular season get underway.
Overall, there’s plenty to be excited about after this victory (noting of course that James, Irving, and Love didn’t play). Read more about it in our reactions and notes.
Next: Reactions: The Good