MILWAUKEE _ The Milwaukee Bucks have a young, up-and-coming team featuring one of the most unique talents in the league in Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has dominated the national headlines all week. The Bucks believe they have the pieces in place to compete with the best teams in the Eastern Conference this season.
Friday's home opener showed they're not quite ready yet.
Facing the Cleveland Cavaliers, the kings of the Eastern Conference three years running, the Bucks wilted down the stretch in a 116-97 loss at the BMO Harris Bradley Center. A team that showed signs of maturity in gutting out a win in the season opener at Boston, the Bucks simply played out the string in the final quarter on the way to dropping their third straight home opener, their last at the Bradley Center.
Milwaukee's wheels came off in the latter stages of the third quarter. After Antetokounmpo, who battled for 34 points on 14-of-22 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists in 38{ minutes, pulled the Bucks within three with a 5-0 spurt with 4:25 left in the quarter, Milwaukee committed the cardinal sin of losing sharpshooter Kyle Korver.
Then the Bucks did it again. And again.
In the blink of an eye, a tight game was blown wide open as a trio of Korver 3-pointers put the Cavaliers up by 12 and ignited a 15-3 quarter-ending run from which the Bucks would never recover.
Clearly in control, the Cavaliers pushed their lead further behind eight fourth-quarter points from LeBron James, who led Cleveland with 24 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Antetokounmpo tried to ignite a fire under his teammates with a bucket followed by one of his fearsome fast breaks. James was the sole man between Antetokounmpo and the basket and he let the 22-year-old go past him.
It was just a set up to remind Antetokounmpo who's still the King. James swatted Antetokounmpo's shot off the backboard then stroked a 3-pointer at the other end to put the Cavaliers up by 15.
The Bucks hitched their wagon to 3-point attempts and it didn't pay off as they went 11 of 35 from long range. Malcolm Brogdon, who had 16 points, connected on 4 of 9, but Khris Middleton continued his swoon from Wednesday night, missing all five of his 3s to slip to 1 of 10.
Kevin Love (17 points), Jae Crowder (14) and Derrick Rose (12) provided plenty of backup to James. So did Cleveland's bench, which led by 17 points from Korver accounted for 45 points. Milwaukee's bench wasn't nearly as effective, with eight players combining for 23 points.
