The Cleveland Cavaliers surely don’t believe in moral victories, but they have to take something positive away from their one-point loss to the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon, storming back from a 15-point deficit to briefly take the lead in the fourth quarter. They lost the game, snapping their four-game win streak, but they showed yet again that they can hang with anyone.
Now they take to the road to face the Milwaukee Bucks, the defending champions. It’s the latest in a series of measuring sticks, from the Brooklyn Nets to the Golden State Warriors to the Phoenix Suns, all within the last few weeks. The schedule eases up significantly soon, but before it does the Bucks lie in wait.
The Cavs play the Bucks Monday night to close their back-to-back. What do you need to know about who is playing and how to bet?
The Milwaukee Bucks had a slow start to the season, weighed down by injuries to all of their starters other than Giannis Antetokounmpo. The star forward has been magnificent this season, and now that he is getting players healthy around him the Bucks have picked up their winning ways, winning eight straight and nine-of-ten.
Will these two teams be healthy? Where do the odds stand now, and what will happen in this game?
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Milwaukee Bucks: Odds, spread, over/under
The Cavaliers (13-11) will visit the Bucks (15-9) Monday night. According to our partners over at WynnBet, the defending champs are favored by 8.5 over the Cavs. The over/under total is 215, which is the highest total for the Cavs since very early in the season. As their offense has powered up, so have their point totals.
The Cavs are coming off of a back-to-back, although the impact is somewhat muted as their game Sunday tipped off at 3:30pm. The Bucks last played on Saturday night at home, so they have been able to rest up without travel ahead of this contest.
Cavs vs Bucks: Project starting lineups, injury report
Bucks starters: Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis
Cavs: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
The Bucks’ key injuries: Brook Lopez (out, back); Donte DiVincenzo (out, ankle); Semi Ojeleye (out, calf); George Hill (questionable, knee); Grayson Allen (questionable, illness); Giannis Antetokounmpo (questionable, calf)
The Cavaliers’ key injuries: Collin Sexton (out for season, knee); Dean Wade (doubtful, calf)
Cavs vs Bucks: Prediction
The Cavs can absolutely expect to hang around against the defending champions; they have all season with every sort of team. That being said, the Bucks have experience and a Top-5 player in the league, two things the Cavs simply don’t have. Add in the exhaustion of a furious comeback on top of playing a back-to-back, and this might be the game they finally don’t cover.
Yet the line is a whopping 8.5 points, and that just doesn’t make sense given how well the Cavs have played recently. Already down two starters in Brook Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo, if any of the Bucks’ other rotation players miss the game they will be hard-pressed by this tough, fearless Cleveland squad. If anyone can limit Antetokounmpo it’s the front line of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley.
Prediction: Milwaukee 112, Cavs 106
The Bet: Cavs (+8.5), OVER
Cavs vs Bucks: Where to Watch
NBA TV is airing Oklahoma City vs Detroit on Monday night, which was probably an attempt to highlight exciting young rookies but pales in comparison to a showdown of strong Eastern Conference teams in Milwaukee vs Cleveland, including the young season’s best rookie in Evan Mobley. As such this will be a local game, so fans local to the Great Lakes area can use some combination of Bally Sports North, BS Ohio and BS Wisconsin to tune in. NBA League Pass will work for the rest of those wanting to watch this matchup. The game will tip off at 8:00pm EST.
Cleveland Cavaliers Upcoming Schedule
This road trip is just one game, and the Cavs will return home to face the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Chicago is one of the other teams to take a huge leap forward this season, their strong start sparked by offseason signings. Both teams could certainly make the playoffs, but given the strength of the conference, the two teams could find themselves fighting over the same spot later in the season.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are next up, part of this club of teams off to a surprise hot start as they have begun the season around .500 with a number of solid wins. How do Allen and Mobley match up against an elite perimeter big like Karl-Anthony Towns? The Cavs will continue to measure themselves against a variety of strong opponents.