The NBA Regular Season continues to heat up as we're back with another betting prediction and pick for this next showdown in the Eastern Conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers (41-27) will take on the Milwaukee Bucks (28-39) in their final meeting this year, the Cavs leading 2-1. Check our NBA odds series for the Cavs-Bucks prediction and pick.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are currently fourth in the East after losing their last game 130-120 to the Orlando Magic. They've alternated wins and losses over their last six games for a 3-3 record, hoping to keep pace and bounce back with a win as the significant road favorites.
The Milwaukee Bucks are 11th in the Eastern Conference standings after beating the Indiana Pacers 134-123. While the win snapped a four-game losing streak, they're just 2-8 over their last 10 games and risk losing out on playoff positioning if they continue trending in this direction.
NBA odds courtesy of DraftKings
Cavs vs. Bucks Odds
Cleveland Cavaliers: -10.5 (-108)
Milwaukee Bucks: +10.5 (-112)
Over: 228.5 (-118)
Under: 228.5 (-102)
Cavs vs. Bucks Key Injuries
Cleveland: Jaylon Tyson (ankle – Probable) / Sam Merrill (hamstring – Questionable) / Jarrett Allen (knee – OUT) / Craig Porter Jr. (groin – OUT) / Tyrese Proctor (quad – OUT)
Milwaukee: Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle – Questionable) / Ousmane Dieng (illness – Questionable) / Myles Turner (calf – Questionable)
Cavs vs. Bucks Betting Trends
- The Milwaukee Bucks are 16-18 at home. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 19-14 on the road.
- The Cavs are 34-20 as betting favorites. The Bucks have gone 16-26 as underdogs.
- The Bucks are 29-38 ATS overall, 15-19 ATS at home. The Cavs are 28-39-1 ATS overall, 15-18 ATS on the road.
- The Cavs are 8-2 outright, 6-4 ATS in their last 10 games against the Bucks.
- The Bucks are 2-8 ATS in their last 10 games.
- The Cavs are 17-25 ATS against Eastern Conference opponents.
- The total has gone OVER in four of Milwaukee's last five home games.
- The total has gone OVER in six of Cleveland's last seven road games.
Keys to Cavs vs. Bucks Matchup
The Cavs have a chance to claim this series 3-1 after winning both of their home opportunities. The Milwaukee Bucks actually own the latest win in this series 118-116 on their home floor, so we'll have to see if Cleveland can break the trend and come away with the first road win of this series. The double-digit betting spread and ‘questionable' designation for Bucks' Giannis Antetokounmpo is the main reason for the discrepancy while the Cavs trend towards a bounce-back win following a loss.
Donovan Mitchell (26), Evan Mobley (29), and James Harden (30) have alternated serving as the Cavs' leading scorer over the last three games, continually displaying the many ways this team can hurt opponents from all areas of the floor. They're 19-7 this season following a loss and are 2-0 against Giannis Antetokounmpo this season, but ironically lost their game to the Bucks with Giannis off the floor.
Largely, the Milwaukee Bucks have struggled without Antetokounmpo this season with an 11-20 record. They average just 108.2 PPG in games without him, a serious issue considering they're already the third-lowest scoring team in the NBA at 111.2 PPG on the season. The Cavs rank third-highest with 119.1 PPG, so we should be able to tell early on whether the Cavs have a serious offensive advantage during this game.
Kevin Porter Jr. managed to lead the Bucks with 20 points in their last win over the Cavs so he'll be the obvious scoring option to look towards early in this one. All five Milwaukee starters scored double-digit totals in the win while totaling 28 assists as a team, so it'll certainly take another balanced effort if they want to knock off the heavily-favored Cavs. It's worth noting that the Cavs are just 5-8 against Central Division opponents this season, so they're certainly not immune to another potential upset here.
Cavs vs. Bucks Prediction and Pick
This will be an interesting situation with Giannis Antetkounmpo ‘questionable' ahead of this game, but the Bucks managed a win over the Cavs without him during the most recent meeting. Antetokounmpo is actually 0-2 against the Cavs this season and much of that can be attributed to the defensive play of Evan Mobley. Donovan Mitchell has also thrived in this matchup, so we'll be eager to see whether Milwaukee's star suits up.
Either way, two of the three meetings have been decided by single-digits and the home teams are 3-0 in the overall series. Even without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks should be able to cover the wide spread at home and answer the Cavs' consistent scoring with a few runs of their own. We'll side with the home team and the total over as both teams have been trending that way as of late.
Final Cavs-Bucks Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee Bucks +10.5 (-112); OVER 228.5 (-118)
