Donovan Mitchell had 31 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took advantage of Milwaukee being without superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo to extend their winning streak to a season-best six games by pounding the Bucks, 135-95, on Jan. 17.

Antetokounmpo sat with a bruised right shoulder, an injury that kept him out of the lineup for the first time in 29 games — the second longest streak of his career. The two-time MVP is not expected to be out for an extended period.

The Bucks had better hope not.

The Cavs, who have made a surprising push despite being without two starters, held Milwaukee to 2 points in the first six minutes and a season-low for a game.

“Our defense, that’s where it started,” said Cleveland center Jarrett Allen. “We really set the tone.”

PHOTOS: Cavaliers vs. Bucks, Jan. 17, 2024

Georges Niang made 13 of 14 shots and added a career-high 33 points — 20 in the first half — for the Cavs, who improved to 11-3 since losing Darius Garland (broken jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee surgery) with injuries last month.

Allen added 21 points and 13 rebounds — his 10th straight double-double — for Cleveland, which opened a 22-2 lead and never looked back.

On a night when the Bucks were missing Antetokounmpo’s presence along with his 31 points and needed someone to step up, no one did.

Damian Lillard, who hit a 3-pointer at the overtime buzzer to beat Sacramento on Jan. 14, led Milwaukee with 17 points on just 7 of 20 shooting. Khris Middleton had two points, going 1 of 10 from the field.

“Tough night collectively, but we’ve got to find the energy from the jump, especially being short-handed,” Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said. ”You have to learn from this because you can’t allow this to happen again, especially at the start of the game.

“Before we looked up, we were down 20. We would literally come down and just shoot.”

The injuries to Garland and Mobley threatened to derail Cleveland’s season. However, the opposite has happened as the Cavs have played better at both ends without them and moved among the Eastern Conference’s top teams.

“At that point in time, you’ve got a decision to make: You quit or you fight,” said Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “And I never expected this group of guys to quit. The fight came and the results have been what they’ve been.”

Any thought Milwaukee had of staging a comeback ended in the second quarter, when Niang made four 3-pointers, his last giving the Cavs a 55-30 lead.

During a timeout while Niang was on his tear, the Cavs showed a video tracing his journey to the NBA on the arena’s scoreboard.

“I learned a lot about him today on the Jumbotron — and on the court,” Allen cracked. “Two thousand plus points in high school, and that’s not easy to do. He really showed why he had that many points in high school tonight.”

Cleveland’s lead swelled to 40 in the third quarter before Griffin pulled his starters and cleared his bench, bringing in seldom-used Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Giannis’ younger brother.

It was the first of three games between the Bucks and Cavs in nine days. They’ll play on Jan. 24 and Jan. 26 in Milwaukee.

THE SCORE

Cavaliers 135, Bucks 95

Up next: The Cavs visit Atlanta on Jan. 20.

• Several fans attending the FieldHouse arrived wearing “34”  jerseys — the number worn by Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were disappointed, however, because “the Greek Freak” didn’t play. He was not on the 4:30 p.m. injury report issued by the NBA, but on the 5:30 report, he was declared out with a right shoulder contusion.

Most fans were already making their way downtown by the time the report on Antetokounmpo broke, and it wouldn’t have mattered anyway because they had already purchased their tickets. Fans are not offered refunds just because the player they paid good money to see doesn’t show. It’s always buyer beware.

Robert and his son Jake from Australia timed their vacation so they could see Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks play the #Cavaliers. Robert was disappointed because Giannis didn’t play, but Jake enjoyed the night. Cavs 108, Bucks 67 after 3 quarters. pic.twitter.com/iRfBmzIcOa

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) January 18, 2024

The Bucks’ last game before playing the Cavaliers was a home game against Sacramento on Jan. 14. Antetokounmpo played 40 minutes, scored 27 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists — a routine triple-double for him. They don’t play again until Jan. 20.

I am not suggesting Antetokounmpo was faking the injury, but this is precisely why NBA Commissioner Adam Silver discourages teams from resting their star players; fans feel cheated.

“We just wanted to be great tonight,” #Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Wednesday night after the Cavs trounced the Milwaukee #Bucks, 135-95. pic.twitter.com/BNT4VhdwnQ

— Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) January 18, 2024

The Cavaliers took advantage of Milwaukee’s dilemma and ran roughshod over the Bucks. They led, 108-67, after three quarters and finished Milwaukee off in the fourth quarter to win by 40 points, 135-95, to extend their longest winning streak of the season to six games.

• The usual stars came through for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell scored 12 points in the first 4:19 to spark a 20-2 lead before the Bucks called their second timeout. They called their first timeout when the score was 9-2.

Mitchell had 31 points in 26 minutes by the end of the third quarter. With the Cavs in total control he was given the rest of the night off. Mitchell averaged 36.7 points a game in his last three games, including the contest against the Bucks.

Jarrett Allen scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in 26 minutes in the first three quarters and then got the rest of the night off. The Bucks obviously missed Antetokounmpo, but the Cavs weren’t 100 percent, either. They have been without Darius Garland (fractured jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee surgery) for more than a month. They are 11-3 without Garland and Mobley.

• Fans like the stars on the team, but they also pull for their favorite bench players as they did when Matthew Dellavedova played for the Cavs from 2013-16 and again from 2018-21. Delly always played with heart even if he wasn’t the most athletic player on the floor. Fans fed off his energy. Now 33 years old, Dellavedova is playing for the Sacramento Kings and averaging 6.7 points a game.

Georges Niang is the Matthew Dellavedova of the 2023-24 Cavaliers. He came off the bench to score a career-high 33 points against the Bucks. He was five of six on 3-pointers. His previous high was 24 points.

• The Cavs collectively were 12 of 28 on 3s after launching 57 three-pointers against the Bulls on Jan. 15. Without Antetokounmpo in the paint to worry about, the Cavs converted 55 of 93 shots (59.1 percent) and outrebounded the Bucks, 56-36. They dished out 36 assists compared to 19 for the Bucks.

CAVALIERS AT HAWKS

When: 7:30 p.m., Jan. 20

Where: State Farm Arena, Atlanta

Records: Cavaliers 24-15, Hawks 17-23

TV: Bally Sports Ohio

Golden State Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a mentor to two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and a former star player in his native Serbia, died Jan. 17 in Utah after suffering a heart attack, the team announced. Milojević, part of the staff that helped the Warriors win the 2022 NBA championship, was 46.

Milojević died in Salt Lake City, where he was hospitalized Jan. 16 after the medical emergency happened during a private team dinner. The Warriors had been scheduled to play the Utah Jazz on Jan. 17, a game the NBA postponed.

“We are absolutely devastated by Dejan’s sudden passing,” coach Steve Kerr said in a statement released by the team. “This is a shocking and tragic blow for everyone associated with the Warriors and an incredibly difficult time for his family, friends, and all of us who had the incredible pleasure to work with him.”

Milojević was in his third season with the Warriors. He previously coached in Serbia — where he once worked with a young Jokic before the now-Denver Nuggets star came to the United States — along with Montenegro. He had been a head coach for eight years in Europe and previously was an assistant coach for the Serbian national team alongside current Atlanta assistant Igor Koskoskov.

“The NBA mourns the sudden passing of Golden State assistant coach Dejan Milojević, a beloved colleague and dear friend to so many in the global basketball community,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “In addition to winning the 2022 NBA championship in his first season with the Warriors and mentoring some of the best players in the world, Dejan had a decorated international playing career and was a distinguished head coach in his native Serbia.”

Milojević worked closely with Jokic, Los Angeles Clippers center Ivica Zubac, Orlando center Goga Bitadze and Houston center Boban Marjanovic, among others, during his time as a coach in Europe. With the Warriors, he worked primarily with the big men like Kevon Looney, who raved about Milojević’s attention to detail.

“Rest in peace, Deki,” Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic wrote on social media.

Kerr said he originally learned of Milojević from Kent Lacob, the son of Golden State owner Joe Lacob. And when the Warriors went through some staffing changes in 2021, Kerr decided to pursue Milojević. It took some convincing, but Milojević finally agreed to take the offer. Kerr was thrilled.

“I immediately saw what Kent was talking about,” Kerr said in a video produced by the Warriors last year. “He was so great to be around. At the same time, he had this amazing basketball background both as a player and a coach. It made so much sense for us to bring Deki in.”

Milojević won three consecutive MVP awards in the Adriatic League, taking those trophies in 2004, 2005 and 2006 when the 6-foot-7, 240-pound power forward was at the peak of his playing career. Jokic was MVP of that league in 2015, a year after current Golden State forward Dario Saric was MVP.

No player has more Adriatic MVPs than Milojević, and the stories of some games in his youth were legendary. Among them: how he scored 141 points as a 14-year-old in 1991, with 83 of those points coming in the second half after his coach ordered he take all the shots.

“I teach all my players that basketball is not a job, but that they should enjoy the game,” Milojević told Bosnian radio-television outlet RTV in a 2018 interview. “Because if you want to do something for the next 20 years, then you have to love it a lot. It’s not easy to endure all these efforts if you don’t like something. Only those who have a sincere love for the game can handle everything with great success.”

Before joining the Warriors, Milojević had NBA experience through Summer League assistant-coach stints with Atlanta, San Antonio and Houston.

Toronto coach Darko Rajaković said he had known Milojević since he was a teenager.

“He was a role model as a player, as a man, as a husband, as a coach — somebody that I really admired and have a lot of respect for,” Rajaković said. “Unfortunately, last night, his heart stopped working and he left his wife and two kids behind and a big, big legacy. This is a really sad day for the whole NBA community.”

Tributes like those began pouring in after Milojević’s death was announced, from teams he worked with and even teams he didn’t. “I had the pleasure of working with Dejan during my time with the Warriors,” former Golden State assistant and current Sacramento coach Mike Brown said. “Not only was he an extremely talented coach, he was an even better person.”

Added Dylan Ennis, a longtime international pro who was once coached by Milojević: “You were not only a basketball master, you were an amazing human being. You will be missed by so many.”

A rescheduled date for the Warriors-Jazz game was not immediately announced. The Jazz said tickets for Jan. 17 would be honored at the rescheduled game. Golden State is next scheduled to play at home Jan. 19 against Dallas.

Milojević is survived by his wife, Natasa, and their children, Nikola and Masa.

“Their loss is unfathomable,” Kerr said.

Associated Press Writer Ian Harrison in Toronto contributed to this report.

Helped by a favorable schedule, the Cavs, 23-15, have won five straight games — all against sub-.500 teams. The winning streak will be tested Jan. 17 when the Bucks, 28-12, visit Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The Bucks have won three straight.

Coach J.B. Bickerstaff has adapted to not having Garland and Mobley. Garland was injured Dec. 14 in a game in Boston. Mobley was sidelined with knee discomfort about a week earlier. Tests determined surgery was needed to relieve the pain that had been nagging him. Both players are improving, but neither is ready to resume playing.

Instead of trying to win the battle in the paint every night, the Cavs morphed into a 3-point shooting machine. They launched 57 3s and made 20 of them Jan. 15 when they pummeled the Bulls, 109-91. Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Sam Merrill and Caris LeVert each made four 3-pointers. Georges Niang was 3-of-9 from behind the arc. So it’s not like opponents can lock down Mitchell and ignore everyone else.

“It’s the recognition of who we are and understanding that not only do we have shooters, but we have guys who can space and are scrappy,” Bickerstaff said. “If you’re taking those 3s, there are going to be a lot of long rebounds, and then having guys willing to stick their nose in there and come up with those long rebounds. That’s what’s happening for us.”

Cavs center Jarrett Allen pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds against the Bulls. He has taken on a bigger rebounding role with Mobley out of the lineup. He grabbed five offensive rebounds against the Bulls and is averaging 3.5 a game — a career high. The season is nearing the halfway point, so it’s safe to say Allen’s rebounding is more than a November flash.

“J.A. has been on an offensive rebounding tear,” Bickerstaff said, “He’s extremely difficult to deal with down there in one-on-one situations.”

Wade doesn’t normally attempt 10 3-point shots as he did against the Bulls, but it’s not because the coaches and teammates don’t believe in him. Mitchell, in fact, said the Cavs encourage him to shoot more often. The more versatile the Cavaliers can be on offense, the harder they’ll be to defend when the playoffs begin in April.

“We’re taking the shots we’re given — not being afraid,” Mitchell said. “I can’t overstate what Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Georges Niang and Max Strus have brought to our offense.

“(Wade) is a different dude. I scream for him to shoot the ball. The best part about it is he doesn’t take offense to it. He doesn’t get his feelings hurt. He loves that support, He’s one of the best shooters on the team.”

The Cavs built their five-game winning streak by beating the Wizards (7-32) twice plus the Spurs (7-32), the Nets (16-23) and the Bulls (19-23) once each.

The Cavaliers have a four-game road trip that takes them to Orlando, Atlanta and two games in Milwaukee after hosting the Bucks.

Bucks at Cavaliers

When: 7:30 p.m., Jan. 15

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

Records: Bucks 28-12, Cavaliers 23-15

TV: ESPN, Bally Sports Ohio

Radio: WTAM-AM 1100, WMMS-FM 100.7

Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points, Jarrett Allen had 10 points and 14 rebounds for his ninth straight double-double, and the Cavaliers pulled away late for a 109-91 victory over the Bulls on Jan. 15.

Caris LeVert added 16 points, seven rebounds and seven assists off the bench as the Cavaliers extended their longest winning streak of the season to five, despite blowing a 21-point lead in the second half.

“They’re a good team, a competitive team, so we knew they were going make a run,” said Mitchell, who also had seven assists. “And we missed wide-open shots. But the biggest thing is how we responded, and we did it as a group.”

Coby White made two free throws early in the fourth quarter to put Chicago in front for the only time at 81-80, capping a 28-6 run that began after Cleveland went up 74-53 in the third.

The Cavaliers immediately answered with 10 straight points, five by Mitchell on drives to the basket, and closed out the game with a 29-10 surge.

“Right now we’re getting the timely stops we need, and the really good teams do that,” LeVert said. “We have versatile defenders and we have bigs that can switch. We’re just locking in more defensively and we’re getting better at our scheme.”

Cleveland made 20 3-pointers in a franchise-record 57 attempts — an NBA season high in regulation — as it took the court for the first time since beating Brooklyn, 111-102, in Paris on Jan. 11. Mitchell, LeVert and Georges Niang each went 4 of 10 beyond the arc.

White scored 18 points and Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic had 17 apiece for the Bulls, who had won two in a row on the road. Vucevic and Andre Drummond each grabbed 10 rebounds as coach Billy Donovan played them together for much of the second half.

“What was disappointing was a lot of the (mistakes) when we went up one were self-induced,” Donovan said. “It was rushed shots, turnovers, offensive rebounds; all stuff we did to ourselves.”

Ayo Dosunmo had 10 points in the third to ignite Chicago’s rally, but could not finish the game after his sore left shoulder flared up. Patrick Williams missed his second consecutive game with right ankle soreness that is affecting his heel area.

Allen is averaging 18.8 points, 15.1 rebounds and 4.7 assists during his career-long streak of double-doubles. Cleveland is 10-3 since losing power forward Evan Mobley (left knee surgery) and point guard Darius Garland (broken jaw) until February.

“J-A gets me open, that’s for sure, and he’s willing to do the little things,” Mitchell said of Allen. “We all appreciate it. He’s playing out of his mind and he should be an All-Star. We need to get him there.”

The Cavaliers made eight 3-pointers in the first — three by Niang — to build a 40-21 advantage. White had eight points in the second for Chicago, which trailed 60-46 at halftime.

PHOTOS: Cavaliers vs. Bulls, Jan. 15, 2024

THE SCORE

Cavaliers 109, Bulls 91

Up next: The Cavs host Milwaukee on Jan. 17.

Mitchell had his 16th 40-point game in just two seasons in Cleveland. He added 12 rebounds, six assists and four steals, joining LeBron James as the only Cavaliers with at least 45 points, 10 boards, five assists and three steals in a game.

He’d like to join James on the list of U.S. men’s basketball gold medalists when Paris hosts the Olympics this summer.

“I’d love to come back and play in the Olympics,” Mitchell said. “This city is a very electric basketball city.”

Mitchell’s quick start sent the Cavaliers to a lead they would never lose and he scored 21 points in the fourth quarter, making four 3-pointers after going 0 for 6 through three, to keep the Nets from coming all the way back after cutting a 26-point deficit to single digits.

“We did some really good things in the second half and his ability to just put that ball in the hole is a difference maker,” Nets coach Jacque Vaughn said.

Caris LeVert added 21 points in Cleveland’s first time playing outside North America in the regular season, while Jarrett Allen had 12 points and 12 rebounds in his career-best eighth-straight double-double. The Cavaliers won their fourth straight, improving to 9-3 since Dec. 16.

Mikal Bridges and Cam Thomas each scored 26 points for the Nets, who matched their worst half of the season with 34 points in the first half and have lost 12 of 15. Lonnie Walker IV added 20 points, providing energy off the bench with starters Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith both ailing and playing limited minutes.

The Nets’ struggles kept the NBA from delivering much of a show in front of a crowd that included French soccer superstar Kylian Mbappé and former NBA stars Tony Parker and Joakim Noah.

But better basketball is ahead.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver noted that the United States, which has won the last four Olympic gold medals in men’s basketball, could send a powerhouse roster this summer.

“I think a love of competition and a love of this market, seemingly all the marquee U.S. NBA players want to participate,” Silver said during a news conference before the game.

He added that the NBA expects to return to France next season, perhaps with the teams selected playing multiple games. Headed by No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama, France had a record 14 players on opening-night rosters this season and has become one of the league’s most important markets, ranking No. 1 in Europe and the Middle East for sales of NBA-branded merchandise.

Mitchell scored the game’s first six points and Cleveland raced to a 16-4 lead. It was 54-34 at halftime and the Cavs took their largest lead when Mitchell’s layup made it 60-34 early in the third.

“I think Donovan came out ready for the moment,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We talked about beforehand how special this game was to be a part of, what it means for the NBA to select you to come over here and represent the league and the game of basketball on a worldwide stage, and I thought Donovan was phenomenal at giving the audience and us what they came to see and what we needed to go and win the game.”

Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson was ejected early in the fourth quarter for flagrantly fouling Nic Claxton after the Nets center had dunked and taunted the veteran center.

The Cavs, playing without Evan Mobley (knee surgery) and Darius Garland (broken jaw), played the final three quarters without starting guard Max Strus because of right knee soreness.

THE SCORE

Cavaliers 111, Nets 102

Up next: Chicago visits Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Jan. 15.

Jarrett Allen had 29 points and 16 rebounds, Caris LeVert scored 23 points off the bench and the Cavaliers beat the Spurs, 117-115, on Jan. 7.

Top overall draft pick Victor Wembanyama had 24 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots in 25 minutes for San Antonio. The 7-foot-3 Frenchman leads the NBA in blocks and ranks first among rookies in scoring, rebounding and steals.

“(Allen) was a great threat and is a player that I respect,” said Wembanyama, who remains on a minutes restriction imposed by the team. “He’s the type of player I like and he’s already had a long career. He’s efficient and does the hard jobs.”

PHOTOS: Cavaliers vs. Spurs, Jan. 7, 2024

Allen is averaging 21.0 points and 15.7 rebounds over the last seven games for Cleveland, which has won three in a row. The Cavaliers were scheduled to depart for France later in the day in preparation for their Jan. 11 contest in Paris against Brooklyn.

“I don’t know any big man, any center who is playing better than Jarrett Allen right now,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “In my opinion, he’s an All-Star. He’s got to be. It’s deserving.”

Wembanyama and Allen exchanged highlight-reel blocks of each other in a wild fourth quarter that saw Cleveland build a 111-95 lead, only to have San Antonio answer with a 20-6 run — scoring the final 11 points — to pull within two in the final minute.

The Spurs had a pair of opportunities to go ahead, but Jeremy Sochan threw the ball out of bounds with 10 seconds left and his 31-footer was off target at the buzzer. San Antonio has the second-worst record in the NBA at 5-30 and is 0-11 against the East.

“You know how we do it down here, we like to keep the fans engaged,” Allen quipped. “I’m excited for Wemby because he’s talented, takes people off the dribble, is an excellent shot blocker, posts up. He has it all. And you don’t realize how big his wingspan is until you go against him.”

Sam Merrill scored 18 points and Donovan Mitchell had 17 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers. Cleveland is 8-3 since learning it will be without point guard Darius Garland (broken jaw) and power forward Evan Mobley (left knee surgery) until February.

“In the fourth quarter, we took our foot off the gas a little bit,” LeVert said. “We’ve got to clean that up, but overall it was a good win for us.”

Devin Vassell had 22 points and Tre Jones and Keldon Johnson each added 18 for the Spurs. Longtime Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman had nine points and six rebounds in his return to Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

“We outscored them 11-0 in the last three minutes, so the defense was pretty good,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

Vassell scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Spurs went up 14, but Merrill caught fire with five 3-pointers to send Cleveland into halftime with a 62-56 lead.

THE SCORE

Cavaliers 117, Spurs 115

Up next: The Cavs face the Nets in Paris on Jan. 11.