Fortune is finally smiling on the Bucks
While Giannis Antetokounmpo is due to return to the court, his partners offered tonight the scalp of the Cavaliercertainly deprived of three All-Stars: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. Just like the day before, against the Heat, Kevin Porter Jr. was very good. Even better, he’s the one who signs the “game winner” with 20 seconds left from his favorite spot, right of the free throw line.
“Everyone knows I love this place and I managed to get there to take this shot” he confided after the game, before talking about this game-tying basket, which was ultimately canceled out by Jarrett Allen. “After the first missed shot, I was staring at the clock and thinking: Please let the time expire… He let the ball go, but I saw the clock was already on zero, so I was sure. But it was obviously a good shot by ‘ME’. He’s improved a lot offensively.”
Close to the action, Bobby Portis knew Allen couldn’t make this shot, the jump shot, in the allotted time. “On the jump hook, the ball stays in the hand for a moment”, Portis analysis. “I looked up and saw 0.9 seconds on the clock, I didn’t think he let it go in time. Then I looked at the giant screen and saw he was still holding it in his hand. It was a real relief.”
On Cleveland’s side, Kenny Atkinson is clearly disappointed with the outcome, but the system was well executed. In a few hundredths of a second, the two teams went into extra time.
“We had exactly the match we wanted. We had a pass and a chance to jump offensively” Cleveland’s coach reacts. “For us, it was a perfect process. We don’t take a timeout in this situation so they can make changes and adjust the matchups. Dennis attacked the rim, we used Portis on a screen. . . . There was a layup, a missed shot, then an offensive rebound opportunity. So I’m happy with that.”
In the end, this win, to the end, 8th in 10 games, does a lot of good for the Bucks. “The season is long, we made many mistakes”Porter Jr. recalls. “We’ve been through a lot together. We’re coming into the second half of the season with new energy. We trust each other. I think that’s the result of that.”
2026-02-26 08:30:00
