Donovan Mitchell scored 10 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter and Evan Mobley collected 23 points, eight rebounds and six assists as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 118-113 in their home opener Sunday night.
Mobley went 12-for-12 at the foul line, including six in the final 16 seconds that allowed Cleveland to hold on after building an 81-63 lead in the third quarter. It was the Cavaliers’ second straight win following a season-opening loss at the New York Knicks.
Milwaukee superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo amassed game highs of 40 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, falling one helper shy of his 57th career triple-double. AJ Green had 20 points and Ryan Rollins added 14 points with eight assists.
Sam Merrill added 17 points and De’Andre Hunter scored 16 in his season debut for the Cavaliers. Hunter had been sidelined with a bruised right knee. All-Star point guard Darius Garland remains inactive after undergoing offseason surgery on his left big toe.
Mobley became the first Cleveland player to make at least 12 free throws without a miss since LeBron James in 2014. It also was the 23rd time in franchise history for the feat. Antetokounmpo was 11 of 16 from the line.
The Bucks got as close as 83-82 late in the third on a Taurean Prince layup before the Cavaliers pushed their advantage to 98-88 on a Hunter 3-pointer with 9:01 to play. Milwaukee then scored 10 in a row to pull even at 98-98 on a Rollins dunk.
Cleveland answered with a 7-0 run on a stepback by Hunter, a 3-pointer from Lonzo Ball and a midrange pullup by Mitchell to make it 105-98. The Bucks’ final push got them back within 114-112 on a Green 3-pointer with 4.2 seconds left, but Mobley buried four free throws to end their threat.
Milwaukee was without point guard Cole Anthony (illness) and power forward Kyle Kuzma (sprained left ankle), both of whom played Friday in a 122-116 win at the Toronto Raptors. The Bucks were one of six NBA teams without a loss entering the day.
Cleveland outscored the Bucks 36-25 in the second with Allen posting six points and four rebounds, allowing it to take a 65-56 lead into the break.
Merrill and Antetokounmpo each had 14 points and Green had 12.
