The Cleveland Cavaliers (45-26) and their second-ranked offense visit Milwaukee (34-35) to take on the Bucks and their second-ranked defense. Action begins at 3:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 22 and can be seen on FSN-OH and FSN-WI.
The Bucks are are hoping for a better outcome after their 129-127 loss to the Nets on Friday. Despite the loss, Zaza Pachulia earned his 12th double-double this season with 22 points and 21 rebounds. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 95-92 win against the Pacers on Friday. LeBron James led the game in scoring by registering 29 points on 13-for-26 shooting.
Over the last five games, Pachulia has taken his game to another level for the Bucks, averaging 14.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 steal. Kyrie Irving has upped his play for the Cavaliers. In the same five-game span, he is averaging 27.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.0 steal, and 3.2 three-pointers.
It will be a showdown of two heavyweights, as the prolific offense of the Cavaliers (second in the league with an offensive efficiency of 108.5) takes the court against the elite defense of the Bucks (second in the NBA with a defensive efficiency of 99.6).
Both teams have won a game in the season series. The Bucks had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 96-80 win. Brandon Knight was the game’s top overall scorer with 26 points.
The odds for Milwaukee and Cleveland are even, while the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Bucks have gone 34-35 Straight Up (SU) and 39-29-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They are 5-7 SU and 8-4 ATS against divisional opponents. Milwaukee is one of the league’s top scoring teams off turnovers with an average of 18.7 points per game.
As for their opponent, the Cavaliers have a record of 36-35 ATS and 45-26 SU. Against fellow division members, Cleveland has a 7-5 SU and a 4-8 ATS record. The Cavaliers rely heavily on three-pointers on offense, ranking fourth in the league with 695 made (9.8 per game). One advantage for the Cavaliers could be Milwaukee’s high fouls per game average of 22.1.
In their previous meeting this season, Milwaukee beat Cleveland, bringing the head-to-head record to an even 5-5 SU over the last 10 meetings. With a 6-4 record, the Bucks have the advantage ATS. In these last 10 matchups, Milwaukee held the edge in field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers two times, with Cleveland controlling all three of these areas one time.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
Milwaukee is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Milwaukee is 2-4-1 ATS in its last 7 games.
Milwaukee is 10-3 SU in its last 13 games at home.
Milwaukee is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Milwaukee’s last 7 games when playing Cleveland.
Milwaukee is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing Cleveland.
The total has gone OVER in 7 of Milwaukee’s last 8 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Milwaukee is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Cleveland.
Milwaukee is 5-7 against its divisional rivals, while Cleveland is 7-5 against its division.
Cleveland ranks sixth in points per game with 103.5, while Milwaukee ranks eighth in points allowed with an average of 97.3 given up.
Cleveland and Milwaukee are well matched, ranking sixth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Cleveland scores an average of 103.2 points on the road, while Milwaukee gives up 95.7 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Milwaukee Bucks are a winning 26-11. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a subpar record of 9-21.
The Milwaukee Bucks have an abysmal 8-24 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 36-5 when they hit triple digits.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 100.2 (ranked 24th). The Cavaliers rank 20th for their defensive rating of 103.6.
The Milwaukee Bucks average 97.7 possessions per game and 1.002 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.4) but more points per possession (1.085).
The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking fourth in the league with an EFF% of 51.8%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Milwaukee Bucks have a subpar 5-16 record.
Milwaukee makes an average of 23.2 assists per game (ranked seventh), while Cleveland makes 21.9 assists per game (ranked 12th).
Milwaukee makes an average of 4.9 blocks per game (ranked ninth), while Cleveland makes 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 26th).
The Milwaukee Bucks rank 18th in offensive rebounding, while the Cleveland Cavaliers rank 22nd in defensive rebounding.
The Bucks record 9.4 steals per game on average (ranked fourth). The Cavaliers are 12-15 when allowing at least 9 steals.
