Cleveland turned a 25-24 deficit into a 72-46 halftime lead and never let Milwaukee back in, winning 136-111. The Bucks are 1-5, 14th in the East, and have lost their last two home games by 32 and 25 points.
Last season
Milwaukee finished 32-50, with the 24th-ranked offense, the 26th-ranked defense and a net rating of minus-6.1. This season, so far, the picture is worse: 106.8 points scored and 117.4 allowed per 100 possessions, a net of minus-10.6. It is a small sample, but it points the same way as the year before.
This summer
Taylor Jenkins was hired April 30. The June 23 trade that sent Antetokounmpo to Miami brought back Herro, Jaquez, Ware and Jakucionis, and the same draft added Burries at 10th and Ament at 13th. The new group won once, 110-102 over Indiana on Oct. 26, and has not yet shown it can hold a lead against a contender.
Oct. 28
Two days after the Pacers win ended a three-game losing streak, Houston won 132-100 in Milwaukee. That was the first 30-point loss of the young season. Cleveland's 25-point margin three nights later made it a pattern: both opponents controlled the game before the fourth quarter began.
Oct. 31, the second quarter
The Bucks held a 25-24 edge at the first break. Cleveland then scored 48, including a 15-0 run from 54-45 to 69-45 while Milwaukee went more than two minutes without a point, as Jim Owczarski of the Journal Sentinel noted. Mobley (27 points) and Allen (25) shot a combined 23-of-32. The Cavaliers' lead reached 36; Milwaukee's biggest was six.
Oct. 31, the grades
Ware earns a B: 19 points, 10 rebounds, 13 of the points in the fourth, offset by four turnovers. Ament gets a B-plus for 6-of-8 shooting in 19 minutes. Herro gets a D: 5-of-18, 4-of-11 from three, minus-19 in 28 minutes. Rollins, with nine points and seven assists, was the only Buck in the plus. A late 12-0 burst made the final look kinder than the game was.
What was the score of the Bucks-Cavaliers game on Oct. 31?
Cleveland won 136-111. The Cavaliers outscored Milwaukee 48-21 in the second quarter and led by as many as 36.
Where do the Bucks stand in the East after losing to Cleveland?
They are 1-5 and 14th in the East. They sit one game behind the Heat for tenth place and two behind the Wizards for sixth.
