Giannis Antetokounmpo dominates LeBron James, Bucks beat Cavs 118-101

Giannis Antetokounmpo, aka The Greek Freak, put on a show against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday as the Milwaukee Bucks pulled off an improbable 118-101 win over the defending NBA champions.

Antetokounmpo finished with a mind-boggling tally of 34 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 steals and 2 blocks as the Bucks dominated the early part of the second half and held onto the lead at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in downtown Milwaukee. |See final box score on ESPN|

The fourth-year forward also did an admirable job of guarding James, keeping the four-time MVP to 8/16 from the field while forcing him to commit seven turnovers. By his standards, James had a poor game -- registering just 4 assists and 4 rebounds from 33 minutes on the floor.

The Bucks shot an impressive 53 percent from the field as a collective unit, with useful contributions off the bench from Michael Beasley (17 points), Greg Monroe (14 points, 6 rebounds) and rookie Malcolm Brogdon (10 points, 3 assists). In fact, Jabari Parker, with 18 points, was the only other Bucks starter to score in double digits.

At the halftime break, the game was evenly poised at 58-54 in favour of the home team. However, Milwaukee outscored Cleveland 34-20 in the third quarter and held onto the lead during the fourth despite a late run from the Cavs. The Bucks first gained the momentum during the second quarter when Antetokounmpo and Beasley went on a scoring tear.

For the Cavs, Kevin Love, averaging 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds this season, had a poor shooting night which saw him go 3/10 from the field and 2/7 from the three-point arc. Kyrie Irving, too, couldn't find his shooting rhythm, attempting only 12 shots from 31 minutes on the floor.

Earlier this summer, Giannis Antetokounmpo signed a four-year, US$100 million (AU$138 million) contract extension with the Bucks. At the time, it was clear that Milwaukee is building its young franchise around the talented and athletic forward, who is primed to make his first All-Star team this season.

The Bucks and Cavs will resume their regular season rivalry on Dec. 20 in Game 2 of the four-match series.

LeBron James and the Cavaliers will now return home to host the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday. Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks will travel to Brooklyn to face the Nets on the same night.