Player Ratings: Cavs vs. Bucks – Donovan Mitchell and company were too much offensively

The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their 24th win of the season with a thorough 124-101 rout of Milwaukee Bucks.

The ratings are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

27 points (9-15 shots), 6 assists

Mitchell took advantage of Milwaukee’s seemingly tired legs. He attacked powerfully off the dribble and beyond the arc. It was the type of game you want to see from Mitchell, even if it wasn’t overly spectacular. He was a big reason why the Cavs’ offense was as good as it was.

Grade: B+

Evan Mobley

15 points (6-10 shots), 7 rebounds 4 assists

Staying ahead of Giannis Antetokounmpo is tough. He did a good job as a help defender, switching to Antetokounmpo when he needed to. However, Mobley struggled in situations where he was the only big on the floor against Antetokounmpo, which is to be expected.

Mobley has improved his strength in recent years, but he was at a significant disadvantage against Antetokounmpo. Giannis was able to back Mobley down and bully his way to the basket, as he was able to do against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. This was especially true in the second quarter, when Antetokounmpo scored 13 of his 33 points.

Mobley had a solid showing on the other side of the ball as he remained aggressive there. That’s what you want to see from Mobley when he’s in a game that forces him to work as hard as he had to on defense.

Grade: B

Darius Garland

15 points (6-15 shooting), 5 assists

This was a decent showing from Garland. He kept the offense going, knocked down shots and was generally in complete control. It was the type of performance that has made him look ordinary this season.

Grade: B

Jarrett Allen

10 points (5-6 shots), 10 rebounds

Allen drew the primary defensive assignment on Antetokounmpo, and he did his job well. He provided strong point-of-attack defense on Antetokounmpo and did an excellent job of switching and helping when needed.

One of my complaints about Allen is that he has struggled to make his presence felt at either end of the court. That was not the case today, although he was forced into a tough fight.

Grade: B+

Dean Wade

15 points (5-6 shots), 5 rebounds, 2 assists

Wade was a big part of Cleveland’s stellar defense against Milwaukee and Antetokounmpo. Having multiple defenders that can switch to Antetokounmpo and hold their own is something not many teams can boast.

Brook Lopez was Wade’s primary assignment on defense. He did well to stay with Lopez at the rim, switching to Antetokounmpo and collapsing to protect the basket when he needed to.

Wade also did a good job on offense. He took the shots that were open to him within the flow of the offense. It was exactly the type of game you want from Wade.

Grade: A

Max Strus

9 points (3-7 shooting), 6 assists, 3 rebounds

Strus looked a lot like someone who hadn’t played in an NBA game this season in the first half. He couldn’t find the range on his outside shot and nearly committed what would have been a costly and unnecessary turnover late in the first quarter. Fortunately for him, it didn’t count as the foul occurred right after the buzzer.

He settled down considerably in the second half. Strus knocked down some threes, moved the ball well on offense and was powerful in his off-ball cutting. The Cavs would happily take the version of Strus they saw in the second half.

Grade: B

Caris LeVert

7 points (3-7 shooting), 4 assists

LeVert was unable to back up his strong performance from Monday. He had a couple of head-scratching plays that have been commonplace in previous years. LeVert picked off an open three only to dribble into the paint and turn it over. The Cavs also held for the final shot of the second quarter, only for LeVert to not even get an attempt off.

He made up for it late in the third by converting a layup with a few seconds left, then stealing the inbounds pass and setting up Mitchell for a breakaway three.

Grade: C+

Sam Merrill

5 points (2-6 shots), 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Merrill hit a three and played with energy on defense. That’s what you want him to do when he’s on the field.

Grade: C+

George Niang

5 points (2-4 shots), 2 rebounds

A team with a powerful power forward like Antetokounmpo will be a tough matchup for Niang. He did a solid job of not standing out defensively, which is what you want in a game like this, but he also didn’t make a noticeable impact offensively. It was the odd game where Niang just wasn’t a noticeable factor in any way.

Grade: B-

Shut up Jerome

13 points (5-9 shooting), 4 assists

It was the first time in weeks that Jerome looked like a version of the player he was during his hot stretch a month ago. He buried a couple of triples, was able to knife his way into the lane and did a good job of running the offense. The Cavs would sign up for a performance like this every night if they could.

Grade: A-