NBA Game Preview - Cleveland at Milwaukee
Mon Oct 28, 2019 8:00 PM EDT

CHI
98
NY
105
F
IND
94
DET
96
F
ORL
95
TOR
104
F
PHI
105
ATL
103
F
CLE
112
MIL
129
F
OKC
112
HOU
116
F
GS
134
NO
123
F
POR
110
SA
113
F
DEN
101
SAC
94
F
UTA
96
PHO
95
F
CHA
96
LAC
111
F
Bucks hope to continue dominance of Cavs
Sun Oct 27, 2019 8:02 PM

Two teams coming off surprising results meet Monday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Milwaukee Bucks in a clash of Central Division clubs.

The Cavaliers broke into the win column in their home opener Saturday night, turning back Indiana 110-99 and delivering John Beilein his first NBA coaching win after a season-opening loss at Orlando on Wednesday.

Meanwhile on Saturday, the Bucks squandered a 21-point, second-half lead at home and lost 131-126 in overtime to Miami.

The Bucks took advantage of LeBron James' departure to beat the Cavaliers three times in four games last season, with the victories coming by 22 and 16 points at home, and by 12 at Cleveland in December.

It was a different story when the Cavaliers were riding James to four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals the previous four season. They won 12 of 16 from the Bucks over that stretch.

The Bucks, who had been top-seeded in the Eastern playoffs last season before falling to Toronto in the conference finals, looked like a title contender when they went to Houston and won 117-111 in their opener on Wednesday.

The results might have been mixed, but the Bucks' games had two things in common -- a lot of free throws and even more 3-point shots.

The Bucks have averaged 51 3-point attempts in the two games, with six different guys making at least two in the opener and five in the Miami game. The club has connected on 33 of the 102.

The Rockets and Heat have countered with 16 threes apiece, nearly offsetting Milwaukee's total from beyond the arc.

But at the foul line, the Bucks have had nothing but complaints over 39 attempts for the Rockets and 36 for the Heat. In each game, two opponents have gone to the line 11 or more times.

"We got to do a better job playing without fouling," Khris Middleton observed to reporters in the wake of the Miami loss. "That's everybody. You could argue that they're bad calls, but most of them are not. We got to do a better job adjusting to the whistle."

The bells and whistles heard in Cleveland on Saturday night came from a postgame celebration of Beilein's first NBA win.

Before joining the Cavaliers, the 66-year-old had spent his previous 896 games coaching at four different college stops, including the past 12 seasons at Michigan.

The locker room scene featured Beilein getting the game ball and an appearance from general manager Koby Altman.

"We've got a new era of Cavaliers basketball led by Coach Beilein," Altman proclaimed to the team. "Let's give it up for his first win."

The Cavaliers had something else to celebrate in the win. Tristan Thompson recorded the first 3-pointer of his 564-game career during a 25-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Free throws also played a role in the win, but not because of how frequently which Cleveland shot them. The Cavaliers went 19-for-29 from the stripe.

They nonetheless finished with a critical eight-point advantage at the line, with Indiana getting just 13 chances, making 11.

--Field Level Media

Team Record Comparison

Standings GB W-L Aw/Hm Stk L10
Cleveland  
Milwaukee  

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