CLEVELAND, OH--- The Cavs ended 2023 on a sour note, battling, but losing to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 119-111 Friday night. The Cavs early on lead by as much as 15, but a meltdown coming out of halftime would be crucial as the Cavs couldn't catch up to the Bucks in the 2nd half. Pair the meltdown with a poor 3 point shooting night, you get a recipe for failure.
We would see the return of Donovan Mitchell, who missed the past 4 games with an illness, and to no one's surprise he made a big impact in the scoring column, he was not alone though, as Mitchell would combine with Jarrett Allen for 37 first half points as Allen would start the game 9/9 from the field. Allen would finish with a career high 30 points along with 6 assists and 12 rebounds. The only thing that wasn't working for the Cavs in the first half was 3 point shooting, playing great lockdown defense to get out to as much as a 15 point lead in the first half.
Once the 3rd quarter started, both teams looked completely different, the Cavs still struggled from 3 point range, and the Bucks took full advantage, outscoring the Cavs 40-21 in the 3rd quarter led by Giannis Anteokounmpo and Damian Lillard. After trailing by 15, the Bucks would get out to a 15 point lead of their own, but the fire from JB Bickerstaff would flow to the Cavs, and specifically Craig Porter Jr in the 4th quarter, rallying to close the lead to as little as 4 points late in the game, down to the wire in the last few minutes, Craig Porter Jr came off the bench and was making things happen left and right. Porter was on fire, finishing the game with 14 points, all in the 4th quarter, but with the lack of 3 point shooting, only making 6 of 43, the Cavs couldn't catch up and would end 2023 with a loss.
The Cavs will be back in action New Years Day from Toronto to take on the Raptors, tip is set for 7:30 pm.