Dribbles: Cavs Again Put Scrap, Depth On Full Display, Down Bucks For 14th Straight Win

March 9, 2025

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 112-100 statement of a road win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. …

1. If you’re going to beat the Bucks in their building, you’d better be ready to scrap and you’d better get contributions from everywhere.

2. Ladies and gentlemen, that again was your Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday night.

3. Each of the starters hit double figures in scoring. The bench was fabulous. The entire team acted like this was a playoff game. And maybe even a Game 7.

4. Big shots. Smart passes. Defensive stands. Multiple backbreaking rebounds. That, folks, is how you pick up win No. 14 in a row, and particularly how you do it against a good team on the road.

5. So, yeah, it’s worth repeating — for the second time this season, the Cavs have won 14 straight. They’ll be looking to equal their best streak of the season Tuesday at home against the Brooklyn Nets.

6. OK, now for the overall record. Here it is: 54-10. That’s just amazing, people. Good grief.

7. Another thing that’s worth repeating? We have never seen a season like this in the 54-year existence of Cleveland pro basketball. You are witnessing the best kind of hoops history. No first-year Cleveland coach has ever won 54 games. Until now.

8. This also marked the first time in 16 years the Cavs have swept the season series from the Bucks (4-0). You name it, and these Cavaliers have probably set the record.

9. They led this one by 15 at one point in the first half. Max Strus was fantastic, scoring 14 of his 17 points by halftime. He was simply tenacious and always around the ball.

10. Other than that, the scoring was led by the usual suspects. Donovan Mitchell (4-of-15) and Darius Garland (4-of-13) struggled in the shooting department, but still scored 15 and 13 points, respectively. Evan Mobley started hot and also scored 13. Jarrett Allen finished with 11. Both Mobley and Allen were tireless near the basket.

Cavs about to win 14th straight as Bucks coach Doc Rivers sends deep bench to scorer’s table with just more than 3 mins to go. Scrappy, smart basketball from Cleveland tonight on road.

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) March 10, 2025

11. But the victory truly came in the fourth quarter, when the Cavs broke open a tight game with a 13-0 run that stretched to the 4:35 mark. That extended the lead to 102-84. A minute later, Bucks coach Doc Rivers cleared his bench.

12. During that run, Isaac Okoro drilled a corner 3-pointer and hit a pick-and-roll layup over Milwaukee center Brook Lopez. Okoro, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill, and others were crucial at both ends in the fourth. Wade, Merrill and Ty Jerome each scored nine.

13. Coach Kenny Atkinson to reporters: “We keep saying we go 13 deep and I think you wear people down that way. Really happy for (Wade) and (Okoro) and (Jerome). That’s why we’re having such a great season.”

14. Yes, Mitchell and Garland really struggled. And the Cavs were up 18 with 4:35 to go, anyway. A big part of that was the aforementioned play of the reserves. A big part was also the defense of everyone.

15. Mostly, the Cavs can be encouraged that their All-Star backcourt was off and they still won big on the road.

16. As Merrill said, “Guys were talking about it tonight. We haven’t been playing our best but are still finding ways to win.”

17. More Atkinson: “We locked down tonight. I felt like they got a little tired and we brought in fresh troops. We just have a lot of talented defensive players.”

17. The Bucks (36-27) received 30 points and nine rebounds from Giannis Antetokounmpo and 22 points from Damian Lillard. But Lillard went just 1-of-7 on threes and everyone else was held entirely in check.

18. Akron native Chris Livingston got in at garbage time for the Bucks. But Milwaukee newcomer and Akron native Pete Nance did not. He has a sprained ankle.

19. So it’s on to Tuesday, when the Cavs will attempt to tie their franchise-best winning streak. They’ll get that shot at home.

20. How do they keep doing it? “I think we’re still hungry,” Atkinson said. “We’re hungry because we know what’s coming. We still have the edge. We gotta keep improving, keep our focus. We can’t wait until the end to do that. So, a testament to our guys.”