Evan Mobley #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers drives to the basket during the first half against the Milwaukee Bucks at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on January 21, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. Jason Miller/Getty Images/AFP
Evan Mobley scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 114-102 on Saturday.
Darius Garland tallied 21 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which shot 55.8 percent from the field. Cedi Osman and Caris LeVert scored 13 points apiece, while Jarrett Allen added 12.
Jrue Holiday led Milwaukee with 28 points and 10 assists, while Bobby Portis Jr. had 23 points and 11 rebounds. Pat Connaughton added 15 points, and Brook Lopez had 10 points and four blocks.
The Bucks, playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo (left knee soreness) for the fifth consecutive game, shot 45.3 percent from the field and 14 of 39 (35.9 percent) from 3-point range.
Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell missed his third straight game with a strained left groin. The Cavaliers used a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to move ahead 105-95 with just over five minutes remaining.
Evan Mobley dropped a career-high in the Cavs W:
38 PTS (career-high)
9 REB
3 AST pic.twitter.com/JuPtTxaiBv— NBA (@NBA) January 22, 2023
Mobley, who finished 19-of-27 shooting, scored with 2:25 left to put Cleveland ahead 111-101. The Cavaliers held Milwaukee to one field goal over the final 8:40.
The Cavaliers improved to 20-5 at home and bounced back from an embarrassing 120-114 loss on Friday to a Golden State Warriors squad that rested star Stephen Curry and three other starters.
Portis scored 11 points in the first quarter to give Milwaukee a three-point lead before Cleveland opened the second period on a 17-2 run.
Trailing by 12, Milwaukee answered with a 14-6 run and cut the Cavaliers’ lead to 50-47 at the break. Portis had 19 points to lead all scorers, while Mobley had 18.
After leading throughout the third quarter, Cleveland fell behind 87-86 when Connaughton hit consecutive 3-pointers to open the final period.
Cleveland earned a split of the four-game series against Milwaukee, which played without forward Khris Middleton (right knee soreness) for the 18th straight game.