Giannis Antetokounmpo Scores 40 in Bucks Loss to LeBron James, Cavaliers

For one night, LeBron James' mood should improve.After the Cleveland Cavaliers forward posted a cryptic Instagram post Monday to apparently vent frustration in some form or another, the Wine and Gold downed the Milwaukee Bucks 124-119 at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday evening to capture just their second win since Oct. 24.James stabilized the Cavaliers on both ends with 30 points, nine assists, eight rebounds and three steals, while Kevin Love erupted for a season-high 32 points (9-of-14 shooting) and 16 rebounds after he was forced to leave Sunday's loss to the Atlanta Hawks with an illness.Giannis Antetokounmpo did his best to help the Bucks keep pace with Cleveland's clicking attack, as he piled up 40 points (16-of-21 shooting), nine rebounds, four blocks and three assists.Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN Stats & Info) put Giannis' second 40-point outing of the season into perspective:But on a night when Milwaukee committed 17 turnovers that led to 24 Cavaliers points, the Bucks put themselves in a hole that was a bit too deep to climb out of.As all of those numbers suggest, Tuesday's Central Division tilt was largely devoid of defense.However, that was to be expected since the Bucks and Cavaliers entered the showdown ranked 26th and 30th, respectively, in defensive efficiency, according to NBA.com's stats database.Thanks to those deficiencies, role players and stars alike were free to fire away.For the Cavaliers, that meant JR Smith was offering supplemental buckets from the perimeter to the tune of a season-high 20 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including 5-of-7 from three.In the midst of his first 20-point outing of the season, Smith made history when he moved past Rashard Lewis and into 14th place on the NBA's all-time three-point field-goal leaderboard:Not to be overlooked were Derrick Rose and Dwyane Wade, each of whom cracked double figures with 10 points.NBA scribe Nate Duncan noted that if Rosewho has six assists in his last four gamescould become a slightly more traditional floor general, he could help change the complexion of Cleveland's offense:The Bucks boasted similar balance as they shot 56.6 percent from the field and 43.3 percent from three.Malcolm Brogdon poured in 22 points (9-of-17 shooting, 4-of-6 from three), and Khris Middleton funneled home 20 points. Middleton also tied a career high with 11 assists.Now losers of four straight, the Bucks will attempt to capture their first win of the month Nov. 10 when they head to AT&T Center for a matchup with the San Antonio Spurs in what figures to be Eric Bledsoe's Milwaukee debut.The Cavaliers' quest for wins will continue Thursday when they start a four-game road trip against James Harden and the Houston Rockets.
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