Milwaukee Bucks: 3 keys to victory when hosting Cleveland Cavaliers

Second key – Giannis Antetokounmpo breaks through Cavaliers’ vaunted defense

While Giannis Antetokounmpo had finished with 35 points on 25 shots, along with eight rebounds and four assists, he suffered plenty of bumps and bruises along the way. The biggest scare came midway through the third quarter where he took a hard fall after driving towards the rim on Jazz All-Star center Rudy Gobert.

Antetokounmpo wound up seeing out the entire game but was clearly hampered by it and wasn’t nearly as effective as he was earlier in the night. You wouldn’t have been able to tell after the 13-point loss as Antetokounmpo downplayed the injury scare.

Whether the two-time MVP will freely admit it or not, but his status will be of some question going into Saturday night, even as the Bucks will hope Antetokounmpo will be in action.

In the case that he is, Antetokounmpo will be met with a Cavaliers team that will dedicate plenty of energy into slowing down what will be a diminished version of the Greek superstar. For all of the focus on their ability to force turnovers, their loaded frontcourt has the size and athleticism that could bottle up Antetokounmpo when he looks to get downhill.

Another point in the Cavaliers’ stout defense is the fact that they have only allowed 41.8 opponent paint points per game and have the lowest opponent field goal percentage on shots taken with the restricted area at 56 percent.

Whether Antetokounmpo sees the floor is a big question, but it will be an even greater question for how the Bucks will look to score in the paint, even if the 26-year-old is able to give it a go.