By: Betty Cantley
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donavon Mitchell driving to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks Mark Sears defend the ball. Photo taken by Ken Blaze-Imagn Images.
CLEVELAND, OH—On October 26, 2025, the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in their 2025-2026 home opener with 20,562 fans in the stands at Rocket Arena.
The final score was Cavaliers 118, Bucks 113. Cleveland had several top performers:
• Donavon Mitchell led the team with 24
points, including 10 crucial points in
The fourth quarter will close out the win.
•.Evan Mobley scored 23 points and
was a career-best 12-for-12 from the
free throw line. He also contributed
8 rebounds and six assists.
• Sam Merrill added 17 points, De’Andre
Hunter scored 16 points for his first
game of the season.
The Cavaliers jumped out to a significant lead, going up by as much as 18 points midway through the third quarter (81-63).
The Bucks, led by a strong performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo, mounted a fierce comeback, tying the game at 98 points with just under seven minutes left in the fourth quarter. Cleveland responded with a quick 7-0 run and managed to hold off the Bucks’ final rally, securing the win with late free throws from Mobley.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was nearly unstoppable for the Bucks, finishing with 40 points and 14 rebounds.
The Cavs still missed some players due to injury, but the performance marked their second straight win.