G-Wagon Finds Another Gear, Cavs Rout Giannis-Less Bucks

At full strength, the Milwaukee Bucks should’ve been the ultimate heat check for the Cavaliers.

The Cavs were riding a five-game winning streak. Sans Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, the Cavs were 10-3 since Dec. 16, showcasing a new identity – predicated on passing, defense and a nightly barrage of 3-pointers – in the face of two devastating injuries.

But alas, the Cavs didn’t play the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday.

With Giannis Antetokounmpo nursing a banged-up shoulder ­– and sporting a business-casual look on the bench – the Bucks who visited Rocket Mortgage Field House on Jan. 17 were a sad shell of the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Without their superstar, the Bucks, um, looked like deer in the headlights. (Sorry – needed to get that out of my system.)

The Cavs pounced, racing to a 22-2 lead midway through the first quarter. And when the Bucks started showing some signs of life toward the end of the first frame, Georges Niang took a souped-up “G-Wagon” out of the garage.

Niang came into the Bucks game averaging 9 points a game off the Cavs’ bench. While Niang is a streaky 3-and-D guy – when he misses, he really misses – he brings a much-needed burst of tenacity and attitude to an otherwise mild-mannered Cavs bunch.

Against the emasculated Bucks, G-Wagon was hitting on all cylinders.

Niang finished with a career-high 33 points on a ridiculous 13-of-14 from the field. He made five of his six 3-point attempts.

With Niang – who looks more like a stationwagon than a souped-up hot rod – there’s more to his game than meets the eye. Yes, the 6-foot-7 Niang is a career 39.8% 3-point shooter, according to ESPN. But he is deceptively crafty in the paint, with the ability to periodically create his own shot and score in a variety of ways.

His entire portfolio was on display Wednesday night, and it was  a lot of fun to watch.

With G-Wagon behind the wheel, the Cavs cruised to a 40-point win over the G-League version of the Bucks. A win is a win, and the Cavs will take it.

Big picture: The Cavs won their sixth straight, and, as of Jan. 20, are the No. 4 seed in a hypercompetitive Eastern Conference. The Knicks, the Heat and the Pacers are breathing down their necks, and I don’t see any of those teams going away anytime soon.

So, whether they’re playing the woebegone Wizards, the sadsack Spurs or the G-League version of the Bucks, the Cavs need to keep stacking up wins in these winnable games.

Because there’s a real heat check on the horizon.

After traveling to Orlando on Jan. 22, the Cavs will be in Milwaukee for two games on Jan. 24 and Jan. 26. And assuming Giannis is back in the lineup, you can be sure the Bucks will be loaded for bear.

Fro-mentum

While G-Wagon gets the headline in the Jan. 17 win over Milwaukee, it shouldn’t diminish the importance of stellar performances from Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen.

Mitchell chipped in 31 points and continues to make a strong case for an all-star bid. Same goes for Jarrett Allen, who notched his 10th consecutive double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds.

As Lou Brown would say, “There could be two or three potential all-stars on this team.”