The Milwaukee Bucks saw their four-game winning streak end in Cleveland on Friday night. The Cavs beat them 124-101 in their first game back since winning the NBA Cup last Tuesday in Las Vegas.

Milwaukee entered Friday’s game, having won 11 out of their last 13 games. They looked impressive against the OKC Thunder in the In-Season Tournament finals. But when facing the best team in the NBA right now, the 2023 NBA champions came up short.

When asked if the team still had a Sin City hangover and told that their predecessors – the Lakers, went 3-10 after winning last year’s first-ever NBA Cup, Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokunmpo said he was not worried.

“I don’t care if we lose five in a row,” said Antetokuonmpo. “I really believe in our abilities. I believe that no matter where we end up in the East, we have a chance to compete while we’re healthy. And that’s the number one thing, our number one opponent in the last couple of years. So right now, that’s the opponent I’m fighting, we’re fighting – health.”

The Bucks and their injuries

Giannis talked about health because they played without his running mate, Damian Lillard, who sat out the game with a calf strain. During the Bucks’ IST semifinal game against the Atlanta Hawks, Dame first felt tension in his calf. He played through the issue against OKC in the Cup title game. But one day later, the Bucks placed him on the IL.

Last season, the Buks guard also missed a few games in their first-round playoff series against the Indiana Pacers. Antetokounmpo sat out the entire Pacers series with a calf injury. The “Greek Freak” also missed two games in their 2023 series against Miami. Milwaukee lost both series, so yes, injuries have dictated their postseason destiny for the last couple of years.

“Calf strains are tricky,” added Giannis. “But time heals every injury. So he’s gotta take his time. And definitely, we have the talent that can step up and hold it down until he comes back.

Not on Friday though

Well, the Bucks weren’t good enough to hold the fort in Cleveland on Friday night. Donovan Mitchell scored 27 points, and the Cavs rained 20 three-pointers on the Bucks, who played without Lillard’s 25.7 points per game. It didn’t help that their starting backcourt of AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. went scoreless on a combined 0-9 from the field.

Giannis had his usual big game with 33 points and 14 rebounds, while the returning Khris Middleton added 14 and Brook Lopez chipped in 10. Outside the three, however, no other Milwaukee player scored in double-digits. Getting scoring support was their issue at the start of the season, but it looked like they had figured it out—not on Friday night, however.

Still, Wisconsin based team is 7-3 in its last 10 games and 4-1 in its last five. It is 14-12 on the season and No.5 in the Eastern Conference. It’s unclear when Lillard will be back, but hopefully, the Bucks won’t lose five in a row like Giannis said. They were in that boat earlier this season, and it was a tough climb back up, no matter how good they were.