Giannis Antetokounmpo Ties Career Scoring High With 34, Bucks Beat Cavs 118-101

Giannis Antetokounmpo tied a career scoring high with 34 points to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 118-101 home win over the defending NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo Ties Career Scoring High With 34, Bucks Beat Cavs 118-101

”We didn’t let them off the hook. We were attacking,” said Antetokounmpo. “They are the champs, but this is a great win.”

Bucks coach Jason Kidd offered high praise for Antetokounmpo, who was often matched up against LeBron James.

”He’s getting better with hard work,” Kidd said. ”He was going against the best player in the world.”

Antetokounmpo added 12 rebounds and five assists while the Bucks ended the Cavs’ four-game winning streak. Jabari Parker had 18 points and Michael Beasley added17 off the bench for Milwaukee.

James contributed 22 points for Cleveland, who fell to 13-3. Kyrie Irving added 20 points.

”You can’t simulate how long they are in the passing lanes,” James said. ”But four of my seven (turnovers) were unforced and that’s careless.”

Milwaukee scored a season-high 68 points in the paint.

“They played harder than we did,” Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue. 

The Bucks outscored Cleveland by 14 points in the third quarter and led by 22 in the fourth.

Antetokoumpo and Beasley sparked Milwaukee in the second quarter as the Bucks built an eight-point lead before going ahead 58-54 at halftime.

Matthew Dellavedova played against his former team for the first time since signing with Milwaukee as a free agent during the offseason.

“He was with those guys in a lot of battles,” Kidd stated.

Lue said he misses having the Australian point guard run his team’s second unit.

“He’s going to compete and play hard,” Lue said. “He’s going to scrap. His teammates loved him.”

A moment of silence before the game was observed for the victims of a plane crash in Colombia on Monday. A chartered airline crashed into the mountains near Medellin while carrying Brazilian soccer team Chapecoense, who was traveling to play in the finals of one of South America’s most prestigious club tournaments. Of the 81 total passengers, 75 were killed.

The Cavaliers next host the Clippers on Thursday night, while the Bucks (8-8) will visit Brooklyn that night. Milwaukee has won 12 of its last 16 meeting with the Nets, dating to Jan. 9, 2009.

BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 25: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks carries the ball against the Boston Celtics during the first quarter at TD Garden on February 25, 2016 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)