The Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Milwaukee Bucks, 118-113, in their home opener Monday (Manila time) to improve to 2-1 in the 2025-26 National Basketball Association season.

After splitting their New York road trip to start the campaign, the Cavs delighted the home crowd with a balanced effort led by Donovan Mitchell’s 24 points. Evan Mobley added 23 markers, while Sam Merrill and De’Andre Hunter chipped in 17 and 16, respectively.

The Bucks were down by 18 points midway through the third, but managed to tie it at 98-all after a powerful slam from Ryan Rollins. However, the Cavaliers quickly answered back with seven straight points to create separation once more.

Milwaukee made one final push and got within striking distance, 114-112, but Mobley calmly sank a pair of free throws with 3.5 seconds remaining to seal the win for Cleveland.

For Milwaukee, two-time Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo put up a near triple-double of 40 points, 14 rebounds, and nine assists. However, the “Greek Freak” didn’t get much help from his teammates outside of AJ Green’s 20 markers.

The Cavs will aim for their third straight win tomorrow when they visit the Detroit Pistons, while the Bucks return home to host the New York Knicks on Wednesday.