The Cleveland Cavaliers (50-27) travel to Milwaukee (38-39) to take on the Bucks in a matchup that pits the second-ranked offense against the fourth-ranked defense. The game starts at 8:00 pm ET on Wednesday, Apr. 8 and will air on FSN-OH and FSN-WI.
The Bucks were beaten by the Magic 97-90 on Saturday. Ersan Ilyasova was the team’s high scorer, finishing with 18. The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are coming off a 99-94 win over the Bulls on Sunday. They were led by LeBron James who recorded his first triple-double of the season. He took his game to the next level with 20 points, 12 assists, and 10 rebounds.
It will be a battle of strength versus strength, as the high-powered offense of the Cavaliers (second in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 108.5) takes the court against the top-notch defense of the Bucks (fourth in the league with a defensive efficiency of 100.1).
The Cavaliers have won two out of three against the Bucks this season, including a 108-90 blowout in their last matchup. James played a huge role in the victory by recording a double-double with 28 points and 10 rebounds.
The odds are even for this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable at the moment. The Bucks are looking to improve on their records of 38-39 Straight Up (SU) and 42-33-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 7-8 SU and 9-5-1 ATS against teams from their own division. Something to watch out for is if Milwaukee can force its opponents into turnovers and convert them into baskets. They’ve done an excellent job of that all year with an average of 18.6 points off turnovers per game.
On the other side, the Cavaliers head into the game with records of 39-38 ATS and 50-27 SU. Against teams in its division, Cleveland is 5-9 ATS, but have a SU record of 9-5. Cleveland is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, hitting 10.0 shots from three-point range per game. Cleveland may be taking trips to the free throw line early and often with the Bucks averaging 22.2 fouls per game, one of the highest marks in the NBA.
Cleveland won the last meeting this season between these two teams, bringing its SU record in the past 10 games to 6-4. However, with a 6-4 record, the Bucks have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Milwaukee held the edge in all three of these categories twice in the last 10 meetings. Cleveland did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – CLE, ATS Winner – CLE
Notes
Milwaukee scores an average of 97.7 points per game (ranked 22nd), while Cleveland gives up 98.3 points per game (ranked 12th).
On average, Milwaukee scores 97.8 points per home game (ranked 23rd), while Cleveland allows 101.0 points per away game (ranked 18th).
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Milwaukee Bucks are a winning 28-12. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a losing record of 11-22.
The Milwaukee Bucks have a losing 10-27 record in games where they have allowed at least 100 points. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 39-5 when they hit triple digits.
The Bucks have an offensive rating of 100.1 (ranked 25th). The Cavaliers rank 17th for their defensive rating of 103.1.
The Milwaukee Bucks average 97.6 possessions per game and 1.001 points per possession, while the Cleveland Cavaliers earn fewer possessions (95.3) 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 51.9%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Milwaukee Bucks have an abysmal 6-18 record.
Milwaukee makes an average of 23.3 assists per game (ranked seventh), while Cleveland makes 21.9 assists per game (ranked 11th).
Milwaukee makes an average of 4.9 blocks per game (ranked ninth), while Cleveland makes 4.1 blocks per game (ranked 26th).
Milwaukee is ranked 16th in offensive rebounding. Cleveland ranks 20th in defensive rebounds.
Milwaukee ranks third in steals per game with 9.4. When Cleveland allows 9 or more steals, the team has an even 15-15 record.
