Cavaliers rally late, tie franchise record with 8-0 start

CLEVELAND — The winning streak lives on. Point guard Darius Garland had a game-high 39 points to power the Cavaliers to a 116-114 come-from-behind victory over the Milwaukee Bucks Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland trailed by eight points in the fourth quarter but refused to say die. The Cavs are now 8-0 to start the season, which equals their best start set in 1976-77. They will try to set a franchise record in New Orleans on Wednesday. "(Garland) was unbelievable," Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said. "He's an incredible player. He is a true point guard. You add the scoring to it and you have an All-Star guy." Garland added a game-high eight assists and just two turnovers in 35 minutes. He was 15-of-22 from the field, including 7-of-11 from the 3-point line. The Bucks (1-6), who have lost five in a row, played without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. Guard Damian Lillard was red hot with 36 points. He has drilled 15 3-pointers in the last two games against the Cavs. Cleveland has played eight games in the last 13 days, including three in the last four. "This was about mental fortitude," Atkinson said. Power forward Evan Mobley had 17 points and three blocks and center Jarrett Allen had 14 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. He also had a monumental block on Lillard at the rim late in the game. "That was an incredible block," Atkinson said. Guard Donovan Mitchell added 14 points and guard Sam Merrill 12. The Cavs were held scoreless for 5:31 over the course of the third and fourth quarters. Georges Niang's 3-pointer early in the fourth snapped the drought and pulled Cleveland to 93-92. However, the Bucks extended their lead to 106-98 with six minutes to play after little-known guard A.J. Green deposited his sixth 3-pointer. Milwaukee outscored Cleveland 31-16 in the third quarter to grab a 91-89 advantage heading into the final period. Pat Connaughton's layup with 1.7 seconds left gave Milwaukee its first lead since the opening minutes of the game. Lillard had 14 points in the third quarter. Cleveland opened up a 13-point edge at halftime, 73-60. Both teams shot well in the first half, as the Cavs shot .617 from the field and .667 from the 3-point line. Garland had a game-high 22 points and five assists in the first half, while Mobley added 14 points, three rebounds and two blocks. Garland was particularly lethal from distance, as he connected on four of six from behind the 3-point line. Mitchell was three of four from long distance. Lillard, coming off a 41-point outburst on Saturday against Cleveland, had a team-high 17 points at halftime. The Cavs held onto a 35-31 lead after the first quarter, as neither team played much defense. Garland and Mitchell combined for 25 points in the opening quarter, as Cleveland shot .542 from the field. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com. Follow him @BobCavsinsider on X.