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The NBA season continues on Monday. The Cleveland Cavaliers will hit the road and face off against the Milwaukee Bucks. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Cavaliers-Bucks prediction and pick.
Both of these teams have had good starts to the season. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 13-11 and are coming off a very narrow loss. While the Milwaukee Bucks are 15-9 and coming off a dominant victory.
Here are the odds for the Cavaliers-Bucks Monday night NBA matchup, courtesy of FanDuel.
NBA Odds: Cavaliers-Bucks Odds
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Cleveland Cavaliers: +6.5 (-110)
Milwaukee Bucks: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 215 (-110)
Under: 215 (-110)
Why The Cavaliers Could Cover The Spread
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The Cleveland Cavaliers have been having a very good season. Expectations were not high, but this young roster has shown a lot of potential, and has managed to compete with some of the best teams in the league. The Cavs are coming off a 1 point loss to a very tough Utah Jazz team. Now that Cleveland is mostly healthy, they are looking to string together some wins. A dub over Milwaukee would go a long way for this young Cavs team, and expect them to come into Monday's game ready to play.
Leading the way for the Cavs has been Jarrett Allen. Allen has been the man in Cleveland. He is a walking double-double, and has had a tremendous impact on the Cavs. In their loss to Utah he dropped 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. This stat line is far from abnormal for Allen. On the season he is averaging nearly 17 points and over 11 rebounds a game. Allen's presence on the court can't be overstated, when he plays the whole team gets a lot better. It will be an interesting battle to watch play out between Allen and the Bucks, but he should be able to rise to the occasion.
Another player who has been great for Cleveland is Darius Garland. Garland has really stepped up as an offensive threat and has helped this Cavs team win games. Against the Jazz Garland had 31 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals! This was his second game in a row scoring over 30. He is averaging nearly 20 points a game for the season, but has been constantly improving. Garland is quickly emerging as a serious offensive threat in this league and he will likely have a huge impact on the outcome of this game. If Garland can stay hot, Cleveland could do more than just cover.
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of the best teams in basketball. The reigning NBA champions had somewhat of a slow start to the season, but have quickly turned things around. In their last game they dismantled the Miami Heat, winning 124 – 102. Milwaukee has won 9 of their last 10 games, and will look to continue asserting dominance in the east. However, injuries could play a big role in this game. The Bucks had some injuries early on in the season, and that problem seems to be resurfacing. They were still able to take care of business against Miami, so it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
One of the best players on this Bucks team is Khris Middleton. Middleton is an all star and an elite scorer. In their win over Miami he had 22 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds. He is finally finding some sort of groove and gaining momentum. The Bucks guard was out for a few games earlier this season and has been struggling to get things going. It's an encouraging sign to see Middleton knocking down shots, and if he can keep it up then the Bucks could definitely walk away with a win on Monday.
The leader of Milwaukee is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak has obviously become one of the best players in the NBA, but he is questionable heading into Monday's game. Giannis has been out for the Bucks last two games and is questionable for this one. In his absence the team has turned to other players. One player who stepped up was Pat Connaughton. In their win over the Heat Connaughton had 23 points in 29 minutes. He has shown that he can be one of the most reliable bench players, and someone that the team can turn to if they need a player to step up. Expect another big night from PC.
Final Cavaliers-Bucks Prediction & Pick
This is not too difficult of a pick. The spread here is very wide and it doesn't accurately represent the level of play from Cleveland. Add to that the fact that Milwaukee has three questionable players heading into Monday, and the choice becomes obvious. The Cavs are a good team, regardless of who plays for Milwaukee they should be able to cover. Pick Cleveland to cover.
FINAL CAVALIERS-BUCKS PICK: Cleveland Cavaliers +6.5 (-110)
FINAL CAVALIERS-BUCKS SCORE PREDICTION: Cavaliers 111 – Bucks 109
