NBA: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Cleveland Cavaliers host another NBA champion as Milwaukee Bucks roll into town. After losing to the injury-depleted Golden State Warriors, the Cavs now face the Bucks. Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell in that one, so they suffered another defeat. The Bucks appeared without Giannis in recent games, but unlike the Cavs, Mike Budenholzer’s unit posted wins. This is a very important meeting for both sides as they have similar records and fight for the top of the Eastern Conference. 

Preview

Milwaukee Bucks (29-16, +110) had two wins at home, against the Pacers, 132-119, and the Toronto Raptors, 130-122. Many saw these as massive challenges without Giannis, but once again, the Bucks proved to be incredibly adjustable even without two of their best players, because Khris Middleton also didn’t participate in this event. 

The game against the Raptors was efficient, as well as the one against the Pacers. In both of these events, the Bucks scored 130 or more points, which is impressive even with Giannis on board, let alone without him and Middleton together.

Jrue Holiday was fantastic with 37 buckets, playing one of the best games in a while. He was 16-for-26 from the field, and we need to remind that this fella is one of the most reliable point guards in the league. Grayson Allen had 25 points, while Brook Lopez scored 19. Bobby Portis had 12 points and rebounds each.

Cleveland Cavaliers (28-19, -115) have experienced an unexpected loss at home against the Golden State Warriors, who were without Steph, Clay, Draymond, and Wiggins. The final result was 120-114 for the guests from California.

Cleveland was without Donovan Mitchell, who was still having issues with his injury and still remains questionable for tonight, though, some sources say that the prolific shooter should appear against the Bucks. Also, the Cavs allowed 23 three-pointers, which was simply unsolvable for the hosts.

Darius Garland scored 31 points and nine assists, yet apart from Caris LeVert, who scored 22 points, there weren’t too many players who could help the Cavaliers. Evan Mobley scored 17, with seven boards, and Cedi Osman had 13 off the bench. JB Bickerstaff’s crew had 50% of shooting from the field, but their defense on the other end wasn’t good enough to stop the Warriors. 

Head to Head games

This will be the fourth game this year, and for the moment, the Bucks are leading 2-1 in the series. The first two games, both in Milwaukee, ended in the Bucks’ favor, 113-98 and 117-102. The most recent was in Cleveland and the Cavs took that one, 114-106.

Prediction

Giannis should be ready, and the same goes for Mitchell. So we will make the preview like these two are available. First, the Cavs are in crisis, and they played last night, meaning they had less time to recover. Milwaukee kinda changed the style of play in recent events, tremendously increasing its efficiency on the offensive end and implementing more players in the offensive scheme. That’s why we believe that the Bucks have more chance of winning this one. In case neither Giannis nor Mitchell play, Milwaukee will definitely win.

Pick: Milwaukee Bucks +110