Result Cavs vs. Bucks | Cleveland gets Max Strus vs. Milwaukee, Giannis Antetokounmpo back

CLEVELAND – The Cavaliers and their top NBA offense face the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, with the Cavs welcoming small forward Max Strus to the game.

The Cavs (23-4) entered Friday’s game with the No. 1 offense in field goal percentage at 50.4%, making them the only team in the league above 50. They also rank second in points per game (121.5). and point differential (+10.6 per game). Only the Cavs and Memphis Grizzlies are in the top five in all three categories.

The Bucks, fresh off winning an Emirates NBA Cup championship, entered the game at 14-11 and are en route to the No. 5 seed in the East.

The tip-off occurred at 7:41 p.m Follow here for live score updates, analysis and highlights during the game.

Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley score back-to-back dunks; The Cavs lead the Bucks by 18 points at halftime

The high-flying Cavs fly past the Bucks.

In the final moments of the first half, Donovan Mitchell found Evan Mobley for an alley-oop dunk. A loose ball a few seconds later led to a Mitchell transition dunk that left him hanging on the sidelines for a while while looking at the Cavs’ bench, and Cleveland will take a 69-51 halftime lead.

Mitchell had a team-high 16 points. Max Strus is still scoreless after missing his three shot attempts tonight. Dean Wade (11 points), Darius Garland (10) and Mobley (10) are all already in double figures.

Aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo and his game-high 18 points, the Bucks struggled to keep up with the Cavs’ best offense in the league.

Cavs-Bucks Score; Cleveland leads Milwaukee by double digits

Ty Jerome just entered the game for the first time – a little later than usual on Max Strus’s first night – and hit a 3, and the Cavs now lead the Bucks 43-30 with 7:42 left in the second quarter.

Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 13 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the floor.

The Cavs lead the Bucks 29-20 at the end of the first quarter after repeated review of replays

The Cavs had a 29-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The final second of the first quarter proved to be dramatic. When Cavs star guard Donovan Mitchell was well past halfway down the court, he threw the ball in desperation when Bucks forward Khris Middleton fouled him. The play was reviewed again and the referees determined there was 0.5 seconds left when Mitchell was fouled. He hit three free throws to give them a 29-20 lead.

Another replay was then conducted to determine whether Strus had fouled Bucks guard Gary Trent Jr. with time remaining. Strus jumped and landed on Trent, sending him to the ground, but the referees determined that time had expired, so there was no foul.

Mitchell had a game-high eight points at the end of the first quarter.

Dean Wade’s 3-pointer gives the Cavs a 17-8 lead and prompts a Bucks timeout with 4:29 left in the first quarter

The Cavs went on a 9-2 run to take a 17-8 lead with 4:29 left in the first quarter and forced the Bucks to call a timeout.

Forward Dean Wade made a 3-pointer after an assist from point guard Darius Garland to give the Cavs a nine-point lead.

The Cavs lead the Bucks 8-6 with 7:17 left in the first quarter and Max Strus enters the game

The Cavs led 8-6 during a timeout with 7:17 left in the first quarter. Guard Donovan Mitchell scored three points and assisted on a three-pointer from Wade to help the Cavs out of the gate.

The Bucks’ star forward Giannis Antetokounmpo helped the Cavs a little by missing two foul shots with 8:11 left in the first quarter and making another free throw with 7:17 left in the first quarter.

After the timeout, Strus came off the bench and played for the first time this regular season.

Here’s some pre-game information:

What is the injury report for the Cavaliers-Bucks game? Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson says Max Strus is ready to play

Strus has not yet made his 2024-25 regular season debut due to a right ankle sprain and is listed as questionable for Friday night. However, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said during his pregame media release that Strus will be available for the game against the Bucks.

Meanwhile, Isaac Okoro will miss at least two weeks with a shoulder sprain.

The Bucks will be without star guard Damian Lillard, who is sidelined with a strained right calf.

Strus will not start out of the gate and is on a minutes restriction. The Cavs announced they will start point guard Darius Garland, shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, small forward Dean Wade, forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen.

What is Cavs Frog? “I always wanted to dance with this frog”: A Cavs frog celebrates 14-0 with the players

How do I watch, listen and stream the Cavs vs. Bucks game?

The game on Friday can be followed locally on the FanDuel Sports Network and nationally on NBA television. It can be heard on the radio on WMMS (100.7-FM) and WTAM (1100-AM).

This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Milwaukee Bucks Score, Highlights, Summary