Cavaliers vs. Bucks Pick
Are the host Milwaukee Bucks primed to defeat the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight at 8PM ET?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, the Cavaliers are a 2.5-point favorite on the spread line. The over-under is set at 217 points.
Cleveland comes in with a 23-8 overall record and 11-19-1 ATS after a 106-99 victory at the Wizards, its fifth straight win. Milwaukee is 15-13 overall and 11-13-4 ATS following a 115-111 loss at the Rockets, its third straight defeat. The Cavs are 2-0 straight up and 1-0-1 ATS in two meetings already this season. Cleveland is 5-1 straight up and 3-2-1 ATS in six meetings since the start of last season. The over is 5-1.
The Cavaliers were led by LeBron James as he notched another triple-double at Washington with 20 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds. Kevin Love scored a team-best 25 points to go with nine rebounds. Jeff Green added 15 points, five rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots off the bench. Cleveland outscored the hosts 23-16 in the fourth quarter.
Giannis Antetokounmpo accounted for 28 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in the loss at Houston. Khris Middleton tallied 23 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Malcolm Brogdon added 20 points, four rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots off the bench. The game was tied 55-55 at halftime before the Bucks were outscored 29-24 in the third quarter.
Cleveland is 3-1-1 ATS in the last five meetings. The over is 16-5 in the last 21 meetings in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee saw its losing skid move to three games at Houston, but can take solace it kept the game close throughout against the NBA’s hottest team. A date at home versus the Cavs provides another big challenge, but I believe the Bucks have what it takes to get the job done. Antetokounmpo is a matchup nightmare as we all know, while Cleveland doesn’t guard the perimeter very well. If Middleton can sink some 3-pointers and perhaps Eric Bledsoe could hit a couple, that could provide the difference in a game with such a tight spread. Milwaukee is 9-5 straight up at home this season.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MILWAUKEE BUCKS +2.5