The Milwaukee Bucks earned their sixth win of the season last night with a 100-90 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers at Fiserv Forum.
In the final game of their current homestand, the Milwaukee Bucks welcomed the Cleveland Cavaliers in a battle of Central Division foes.
The Bucks were coming off a sizeable 131-118 loss to the Utah Jazz the night prior, and they needed this game to bounce-back. Losing back-to-back regular season games has been a rarity for this franchise in recent memory, as they have been historically great following losses.
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However, they were given some adversity to overcome before the opening tip as reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo would be sidelined for the contest with back spasms.
Without Antetokounmpo in the lineup, several other Bucks were expected to step up, and they did just that as the team picked up a solid 100-90 win.
It was not the most thrilling game to watch, but here are three takeaways from Milwaukee’s 10-point victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday night.
Takeaway No. 3 – Khris Middleton takes the reigns with the MVP sidelined
With Giannis Antetokounmpo set to miss his first game of the season, all eyes turned their attention towards Khris Middleton. Although Giannis missing time is thankful a rarity, Middleton has stepped up to the challenge whenever the Bucks are without their superstar, and Saturday night was no exception.
It was a slow start for Middleton, who had logged just three points throughout the first quarter and most of the second. However, an 8-0 run by himself to close out the first half helped jolt some energy into the forward, which helped propel a big night in Milwaukee’s victory. Middleton finished with a game-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc.
The swingman also continued to show his much-improved facilitating capabilities, as he finished with a team-high six assists on the night. Overall, it was a fantastic night from Middleton as he elevated the Bucks over the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, he was not the only member of the Bucks to step up.