The Cleveland Cavaliers got a proverbial statement win on Wednesday when they defeated Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, 114-106.
Although Antetokounmpo had a big one with 45 points on 17-of-27 shooting and 14 rebounds, the Cavs were able to hold down all of his teammates, as no one else on the Bucks was able to muster as many as 15 points.
Defense was the key for Cleveland, as it was able to win despite being outrebounded by nine because it forced 19 turnovers, allowing it to build a 24-point lead at one point.
Across Twitter, Cavs fans flexed after this big win.
No team in the NBA has more wins than the Cleveland Cavaliers.
— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) December 22, 2022
The Cleveland Cavaliers will win the 2022 NBA Finals. #letemknow
— Kenny Krawczyk (@kenny_krawczyk) December 22, 2022
Donovan Mitchell led the way with 36 points and six assists, and his explosive, exciting play has taken Northeast Ohio by storm.
Cavs fans have adopted him as their newest hero.
It’s WILD how quickly Donovan Mitchell made the Cleveland Cavaliers the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.
— David Wysong (@DavidWysong_) December 22, 2022
The win boosted Cleveland to a 16-2 record at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, which is the NBA’s best home record, and it is proof that the team is quickly becoming very dangerous.
YOUR CLEVELAND CAVALIERS ARE 16-2 AT HOME!!!!!! #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/XuLlgrqlyn
— GREEZY (@__GRZY__) December 22, 2022
Another Statement Game Is Upcoming
After playing the Toronto Raptors, the Cavs will host the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 26, which means a showdown against Kevin Durant and former Cav Kyrie Irving.
The Nets are just 1.5 games behind Cleveland in the standings and have quietly won nine of their last 10 games after a dismal start to the season.
Cleveland is now only half a game behind the second-place Boston Celtics and a full game behind the Bucks for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
If Mitchell and company start winning games consistently on the road, making a run at the best record in the East won’t be out of the question.
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