Dribbles: Cavs rise at right time to take down feisty Bucks

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 123-116 road win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. …

1. The Cavs played with their food for a little bit here, but it ended up OK. That can happen when you’re a lot better than the other guy.

2. Basically, not even Pete Nance could save the Bucks. But he sure did try.

3. For the Cavs, it came down to taking care of business when it mattered. Before that, well, not so much.

4. Evan Mobley and James Harden have been watching film together on their two-man game, and it showed plenty on this night. Each scored 27 points, each was efficient, each looked for the other at times.

5. Mobley is averaging about 21 points and 10 rebounds in his last 10 games (he had a whopping 15 rebounds in this one). He told NBC/Peacock afterward that he believes Harden is getting him to another level. Slowly but surely. “He should’ve had 35 and 20, but I’ll take it,” Harden told NBC of Mobley.

6. Mobley’s ascension is playing out like Jarrett Allen‘s did alongside Harden. So let’s see what the Cavs can do when both Allen and Mobley are on the court together, with Harden. 

7. One of these days, the Cavs are hoping.

8. As for this particular game, the Bucks were going nuts from beyond the arc. The Cavs (42-27) were actually defending. For the most part, they had a hand in the opponent’s face. Didn’t really matter.

9. Bucks such as Bobby Portis, Ryan Rollins and someone named Ousmane Dieng couldn’t miss. Especially Dieng. Even Nance got in on it, hitting 3-of-4 threes.

10. That said, the Cavs have to a better job of forcing opponents to put the ball on the floor and move off the line. They say they know that.

11. Offensively, it’s never a problem. This team has plenty of guys who can put the ball in the bucket. Donovan Mitchell had an off night (4-of-14 shooting) but still finished with 19. Sam Merrill added an underrated 17 on 6-of-12 from the floor. Dean Wade added nine and Keon Ellis had eight, knocking down a couple of important threes.

12. Mobley to FanDuel Sports Cleveland: “Sometimes you gotta just win ugly. We came out here just OK, and then they went on a run, and it kinda got choppy. Sometimes it goes like that. We got the win at the end of the day and that’s what matters. … There’s never a perfect game.”

13. Former Cavs guard Kevin Porter Jr. led the Bucks (28-40) with 25 points and 10 assists. Without Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee), Porter has sort of become the Bucks’ go-to guy. That’s great for Porter, but I don’t know if it’s great for Milwaukee. Nance scored 13 in one of his finest showings of the year.

14. The Cavs have what is considered a somewhat easy slate ahead — at Chicago, at New Orleans, then home against Orlando and Miami (twice).But as we’ve seen, they can get into trouble if they don’t bring it. In their defense, that can be hard to do at the time of year. True contenders, however, handle their business.

15. Max Strus finished with six points in his second game back. While the scoring wasn’t a big factor, he did grab six rebounds in 23 minutes. His energy and intangibles offer a major boost.

• BOX SCORE | Cavs 123, Bucks 116
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