Bucks vs Cavaliaers Daily Line NBA & 2024 Expert Analysis

Milwaukee at Cleveland | 2024 NBA Expert Analysis

The Milwaukee Bucks upset the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA Cup title on Tuesday night, so it might be a bit of a letdown effect on Friday when the Bucks visit the NBA-best Cavaliers. Cleveland is favored on the daily line NBA.

Bucks at Cavaliers Daily Line NBA Subject to Change: Cavaliers -5 (total 230)
Expert Prediction: Cavaliers 110, Bucks 1Cavaliers 115, Bucks 10908

How to Bet Bucks at Cavaliers Daily Line NBA & TV Info

When: Friday, 7:30 PM ET
Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
TV: NBA TV
Stream: NBA TV app

Series History

Cleveland leads 2-0 this year, winning 114-113 on the road on Nov. 2 and then 116-114 at home on Nov. 4. In that latter game, the Cavs’ Darius Garland finished with 39 points and drained a go-ahead 3-pointer with 45 seconds left as the Cavs rallied down the stretch, outscoring the Bucks 18-8 over the final 6:06. Milwaukee, though, played without injured superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo and he should be in there for Friday. Overall, Milwaukee leads 132-103 in the regular season but Cleveland has won the past three dating to last season. They play once more this season.

Why Bet on Milwaukee?

The Bucks are NBA Cup champions after upsetting Oklahoma City 97-81 in Las Vegas on Tuesday night for the team’s fourth straight win overall but that game doesn’t count at all toward the regular-season standings or statistics – the championship game of the NBA Cup is the only matchup in that tournament which doesn’t count.

A 19-5 Milwaukee run in the second half turned what was a five-point game into a 19-point game early in the fourth, and the Bucks kept control the rest of the way. The Thunder had scored at least 99 points in every game this season. But they sputtered in plenty of ways Tuesday, getting outscored 51-15 from beyond the arc and shooting only 34%. Milwaukee broke down OKC’s league-best defense with sharp ball movement and hot three-point shooting, as the Bucks had made 14 of 33 (42.4%) of their three-pointers

"It reminds us that we can beat anybody," Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said. "And we don’t care if it tells everybody else that. Like we only care about us. It’s what I said in the first day of camp. Also said we can lose to anybody if we don’t play right. Right?” Rivers became the first head coach to win an NBA title (2008 in Boston) and NBA Cup.

List of players in NBA history to win MVP, DPOY, Finals MVP, and NBA Cup MVP:

-Giannis Antetokounmpo

End of list

pic.twitter.com/s28EhUaN3o
— 2024 NBA CUP CHAMPION (@DaGuch77) December 18, 2024

Giannis Antetokounmpo was named NBA Cup MVP after scoring 26 points with 19 rebounds and 10 assists in the title game for his fourth triple-double of the 2024-25 campaign. The superstar was elite on both ends of the floor, tying his season-high mark in steals with two while chipping in at least three blocks for the seventh time this year. Antetokounmpo has yet to score fewer than 20 points in a game this season, and he has logged 16 outings with 30-plus points.

The 30-year-old joined last year’s MVP LeBron James as the only players to have captured a regular season, All-Star Game and finals MVP along with the new NBA Cup award.

"At the end of the day, when you approach a game like this, you’re not thinking about MVPs," Antetokounmpo said. "You’re thinking about trying to win the game, and sometimes when you try to win the game and try to do whatever it takes, you put yourself in position to be successful and you’re able to get a trophy like that.

Damian Lillard got the first NBA title of his Hall of Fame career in the win and finished with 23 points, four rebounds and four assists. Lillard posted his 18th matchup with 20 or more points and he has made five-plus shots from beyond the arc in nine outings this season. Over his last 10 regular-season appearances, he’s averaging 26.8 points, 8.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds while shooting 43.3 percent from deep. Lillard and Giannis lead the NBA in scoring by a duo this season at 58.4 PPG. They have scored at least 30 points in five games together this season, three shy of the team record they set for a duo last year.

Former All-Star Khris Middleton has been limited to four games this season due to injury. He’s healthy in that regard now but missed Tuesday’s game with an illness but should be back Friday. The Bucks started the season 4-9 without Middleton He is averaging 7 points, 5.8 assists, 3 rebounds and 21 minutes this season but those minutes will eventually go up. If for some reason Middleton can’t play Friday, Andre Jackson took his spot Tuesday and had two points and three rebounds in 26 minutes but played good defense.

This is the front end of a back-to-back for the Bucks, who are 4-1 in five B2B openers so far and has won the past four of them.

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Bucks at Cavaliers Props provided by MyBookie

Why Bet on Cleveland?

The Cavs have been off since their second win in a row Monday, 130-101 at Brooklyn. Cleveland, which entered play ranking first in the NBA in field-goal percentage (50.3) and 3-point field-goal percentage (39.9), shot 53.1% from the field. They had 33 assists on 43 made baskets. Brooklyn scored the game’s first seven points, but the Cavaliers closed the first quarter with a 32-5 run and led by 20. The Cavaliers have scored at least 130 points in seven games, which already is a single-season franchise record.

All-Star Donovan Mitchell had 18 points, five assists, four steals and three rebounds in just 30 minutes. The four steals tied his season high, a mark Mitchell had reached twice before in 2024-25. Mitchell has seen his offense take a step backward over the last couple of weeks, scoring 20-plus points only three times in seven games to begin December.

Over that stretch, Mitchell is averaging 21.4 points, 5.7 assists, 4.7 boards, 4.1 threes and 2.0 steals while shooting 44.6 percent (29-for-65) from beyond the arc. Mitchell is averaging 27.1 PPG in 19 career games against the Bucks, which is the 6th-highest scoring average against the Bucks in NBA history. Mitchell (7.8 PPG in 4th Q) also ranks 2nd in the NBA in 4th quarter points per game (min. 15 games played) this season.

Evan Mobley had 21 points and five rebounds in just 21 minutes because it was a blowout. Mobley led the Cavaliers in scoring during his return from a one-game absence due to a left ankle sprain. It was his 11th 20-plus-point outing through 25 regular-season appearances. Mobley recorded his 19th game shooting more than 50.0 percent from the field Monday. On the season, he’s averaging a career-high 18.4 PPG, including a career-best 23-for-56 (.411 3FG%) shooting from the 3-point line. He’s shooting 56.4 percent from the floor and 41.1 percent from downtown.

Guard Ty Jerome is averaging career-highs in PTS (10.7 PPG), STL (1.27 SPG), FG% (.537 FG%), 3FG% (.447 3FG%) and is shooting .911 from the free throw line this season in 17.4 MPG. He ranks 3rd among NBA reserves in steals per game this season. Jerome is also the only player in the NBA averaging .500 FG%-.400 3FG%-.900 FT% shooting percentages.

The Cavaliers announced Thursday that starting forward Isaac Okoro will miss at least two weeks due to a sprained AC joint in his right shoulder suffered against the Nets. Georges Niang and Dean Wade are candidates to receive increased playing time. Guard Max Strus has yet to play this season due to injury but practiced this week and is on track for his season debut thie NBA Season.

Cleveland currently has the best record in the NBA at 23-4 and also 14-1 (.933) at home. It is the third time in team history the Cavs have started a season 14-1 or better at home (14-1 in 2015-16 and 15-0 in 2008-09). Each of the Cavs’ last five wins are by 10 or more points and they lead the Eastern Conference (2nd in the NBA) in points per game differential (+10.6) this season. The Cavs also have the fifth-lowest turnovers per game average in the NBA (13.2).

The team ranks 1st in the East (2nd in the NBA) in points per game (121.5 PPG), 1st in the NBA in field goal percentage (.504 FG%) and 1st in the NBA in three-point percentage (.399 3FG%). Cleveland’s points per game average would be the highest scoring average for a season in Cavaliers team history (Highest PPG for an 82-game season is 114.1 PPG in 1979-80).

Bucks vs Cavaliers Series History

Milwaukee leads 36-30 but trails 17-16 at Cleveland and lost their last season 117-100. Anthony Edwards had 23 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points for the Wolves. Jalen Brunson scored 25 points and Julius Randle had 21 for Milwaukee, which shot 34.8% to Cleveland’s 51.3%. This off season, the Wolves traded Towns to Milwaukee for Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and a future first-round pick.

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NBA Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Analysis & Prediction

Previous Betting News

The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday in both teams’ final game of the regular season.

Milwaukee has been battling for the top seed in the Eastern Conference for most of the post-All-Star break season, whereas the Cavaliers have slowly fallen down the ladder and will be participating in the play-in tournament.

The game is set to tip off Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio. With that in mind, let’s see how the Bucks and the Cavaliers stack up against each other so you can make your bets against their NBA Odds.

Basketball Preview for Milwaukee Bucks at Cleveland | NBA Betting Picks

Milwaukee Bucks Analysis

Normally, the Bucks would have the clear advantage in the impending matchup; however, because they are guaranteed a low seed in the playoffs, they will likely take the opportunity to rest or at least play their starters in fewer minutes during Sunday’s match. Granted, they still have an elite supporting cast but will not have their takeover players.

Regardless of who is on the court, the Bucks play solid defense, run in transition, and knock down open shots. The latest example of the depth of their team came in a win against the Chicago Bulls when Brook Lopez erupted for 28 points while Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to 18.

The odds will come down entirely to who suits up for the reigning NBA champions, but their depth makes them a solid bet either way.

Cleveland Cavaliers Analysis

The Cleveland Cavaliers were the surprise of the season before the Memphis Grizzlies started going off against everybody they played; unfortunately for native Ohioans and surviving LeBron fans, injuries have hampered their recent success and could ultimately doom their chances in the playoffs, which, if you had asked fans earlier in the season, would have been perceived as fairly high.

Rookie of the Year candidate Evan Mobley and starting center Jarrett Allen are out with injuries, leaving Lauri Markkanen and Moses Brown to hold down the fort as the starters.

Lamar Stephens is also out with an injury, which means that three normal bench players— two now in the starting lineup and one out of action— are no longer a part of Cleveland’s game plan. This has significantly reduced their punch late in quarters and when the team’s star, Darius Garland, is not on the court.

The Cavs still have something to play for because they want to protect their positioning in the play-in. If they drop a couple of games, they could fall into the 9/10 position and have to win two games to make it into the regular playoffs.

Betting Prediction

Again, it is hard to know exactly what to expect from this matchup because of the multitude of directions the Bucks could go in.

What is a near-guarantee is another outstanding performance from Garland, who has been playing the best basketball of his career as of late. It seems like the only thing that could slow him down right now is fatigue built up from carrying the offense on most nights.

All in all, the Bucks still get the nod as the better prospect because of their depth and potential, but that is far from guaranteed.