CLEVELAND, Ohio — Evan Mobley wouldn’t let it happen again.
Playing their second straight night against a shorthanded opponent, the Cleveland Cavaliers did not miss this opportunity by defeating the Milwaukee Bucks 114-102 without Giannis Antetokounmpo. The win tears up Cleveland’s two-game sled — and Mobley’s fingerprints were all over the triumph.
About 24 hours after their most embarrassing loss of the season to the Golden State Warriors — a night that saw Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff admonish his team for disrespecting the game and overlooking an undermanned opponent who was without sniper Stephen Curry and five other players was — the Cavs took Saturday’s matchup more seriously.
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No emotional disappointment this time. The fire started from Cleveland’s second grader.
With a focus, a determination, and an aggressiveness that the Cavs tried to get out of him more often, the 21-year-old Mobley looked exactly like the version of the player Bickerstaff said could one day dominate the league, the Guy trainers have asked to emulate Milwaukee superstar Antetokounmpo.
Perhaps the transformation started earlier than expected.
Mobley notched a career-high 38 points on a hyper-efficient 19 of 27 from the field with nine rebounds and three assists in 38 fascinating minutes.
It’s his ninth straight game to score in double digits. He is only the fourth player in franchise history to be 21 or younger to score 38 or more points in a game, alongside LeBron James, Collin Sexton and Kyrie Irving. Mobley’s 19 field goals scored are most often tied with James by a Cavs player 21 years of age or younger. He is also the fourth NBA player since 1979, when the 3-point line was introduced, to score at least 38 points without a single three-pointer or free throw. NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon last managed to do this in 1997. Alex English and George Gervin also accomplished this remarkable feat.
Teammates don’t call Mobley a unicorn for nothing.
“It was just one of those days,” Mobley explained humbly. “I definitely always have the confidence to go out and do things like that. I just have to go out and do them.”
After the best half of his career, which included 18 points and helping the Cavs build a three-point lead at the break, Mobley raised the bar even higher in the second half with a 20-point burst, including 14 points in the fourth quarter. He scored 12 of the Cavs’ first 15 points to open the fourth as his career night helped Cleveland fend off the feisty Bucks, who lacked Antetokounmpo (knee pain) and swingman Khris Middleton.
“That’s exactly what I want to see out of 4,” said all-star point guard Darius Garland, referencing Mobley’s jersey number. “He’s aggressive, he just finds his bag and does what he does best. I would love to see it every night. It was badly needed.”
There were flashes of brilliance from Mobley, moments of excitement that led members of the organization to nickname him “Fourth Quarter Evan” or “The One”.
He put it all together on Saturday night. He lived up to that nickname.
“I think that’s what he’s capable of,” Bickerstaff explained. “It’s sometimes difficult for big boys to get their fair wages. It’s hard for big guys who are selfless by nature to get their rights. Evan is a damn good basketball player. He’s playing the game right. He doesn’t force anything because people say he should shoot more or score more goals. In that sense, he’s a basketball purist. He was aggressive. He was confident. He was aggressive.”
Garland added 21 points and 10 assists. Caris LeVert, who started in place of top scorer Donovan Mitchell for the third straight game because of a nagging groin injury, contributed 13 points and seven assists. Cedi Osman fit him off the bench at 13. Jarrett Allen finished the tournament with 12 points and six rebounds.
The Cavs shot 55.8% from field and 31.8% from 3-point range.
Milwaukee was led by Jrue Holiday, who had 10 assists and 28 points remaining. The usual sixth man, Bobby Portis, got off to a point start with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
After trailing three points late in the first quarter, the Cavs opened the second on a 17-2 run, building a 12-point lead and maintaining control for most of the last three periods. They briefly gave up the lead early in the fourth quarter but responded to every Milwaukee foray. The Cavs led 23 of the 24 minutes of the second half.
“There was a higher purpose that we needed to play with tonight and focus on that,” Bickerstaff said. “Seeing our boys bounce back from last night to tonight makes me very proud of those guys and how they grew as a team tonight.”
Hours before the tip, Bickerstaff went back to the arena and said he was still not over Friday’s useless slip. He had to see how Saturday went first.
He can get past that now. Looks like the Cavs have learned their lesson.
“We know we didn’t do our best last night,” Garland said. “I don’t even want to talk about last night because that was in the past, but we got out tonight and got the deal done. We were asked to do this. We knew that literally from this morning and going into the walkthrough we had today knew we had to get one tonight. I’m glad we came out and just fought at a high level, played how we usually play – or try to play – and succeeded.”
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Versatile forward Dean Wade played his first game in about seven weeks due to shoulder and ankle injuries. He logged 10 minutes without scoring or attempting a shot.
Wild Thing
The Cavaliers honored franchise legend Anderson Varejao, who is now officially retired and a full-time member of the organization as player development advisor and global ambassador. A touching video tribute that brought some tears to Varejao included thoughts from former teammate, coach and chairman Dan Gilbert. Surrounded by some of the team’s greatest players and various members of his family, Varejao delivered a heartfelt speech, sharing career stories and thanking the many people who have helped him in his NBA career.
Born in Brazil, he was known for his non-stop bustle, floppy hairstyle and welcoming personality.
“A guy who worked hard,” Varejao said when asked how he would like to be remembered. “A guy who came out of nowhere and made it to the best basketball in the world. One who gave everything.”
Next
The Cavs will open a three-game road trip against the New York Knicks Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m
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