Cavs overtake Bucks and Sixers win

LOS ANGELES — The Cleveland Cavaliers faced the new NBA Cup champions in Milwaukee on Friday (Saturday in Manila), dominating the Bucks 124-101 to improve their league-best record to 24-4.

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points and Darius Garland added 16 for the Cavs, who led by 36 points as the Bucks struggled in the absence of injured guard Damian Lillard.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led the Bucks to victory in the NBA Cup finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, scored 33 points with 14 rebounds and three steals.

Khris Middleton, returning from illness, scored 14 points off the bench for Milwaukee, but starting guards Andre Jackson Jr. and AJ Green were a combined 0 of 9 from the field, neither contributing a point.

The Cavaliers, winners of seven of their last eight games, improved to 15-1 at home and received some good news with the season debut of Max Strus – who had been sidelined with injuries to hip and ankle.

Strus scored nine points in 19:07 minutes off the bench for Cleveland and made three of his 20 three-pointers.

“We did it on both ends of the floor,” Mitchell said. “We set the tone, offensively and defensively. Knowing they had a long trip back, (we were) trying to start early, pick up the pace, and we did that for 48 minutes.”

Bucks coach Doc Rivers, who called returning to the regular season “weird” after playing in the semifinals and final of the season tournament in Las Vegas, said the game was not a good indicator of the situation of the Bucks.

“We were flat, tired, whatever you want to call it,” Rivers said. “There is no information on tonight’s game… give them all the credit.”

In Philadelphia, 76ers star center Joel Embiid wore a protective mask as he returned after missing a game with a fractured sinus to score 34 points in a 108-98 win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Embiid, who was expected to be out at least until Saturday after taking an inadvertent hit to the face last week, added five rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocked shots.

Tyrese Maxey scored 23 points and Kelly Oubre Jr. added 22 for Philadelphia, which notched its fourth win in five games as they try to get into the race for a play-in spot.

Embiid has been largely absent from the Sixers’ stuttering season. The 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player was playing in just his seventh game of the campaign after his troublesome left knee delayed his season debut.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who fell to the Bucks in the Cup final on Tuesday, won their second victory since then, beating the Heat 104-97 in Milwaukee.

Jalen Williams scored 33 points and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander added 25 for the Thunder, who were coming off a win against the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

Tyler Herro scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Heat, but Miami clearly missed the contribution of star forward Jimmy Butler, who left in the first quarter and was ruled out for the remainder of the game with illness.

Miami’s Bam Adebayo left briefly in the third quarter after receiving an accidental elbow to the left eye. He returned after receiving seven stitches and finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds.