Cavaliers vs. Bucks Pick
Will the host Milwaukee Bucks down the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night? Game time is 7PM EST.
Oddsmakers at sports book Bovada.lv have listed the Cavaliers as a 2.5-point favorite against the spread. The over-under is set at 208.
Milwaukee has a 1-0 record after winning its season opener 108-100 Wednesday at Boston. Cleveland is also 1-0 following a 102-99 home win Tuesday over the Celtics in its season opener. The Cavaliers won three of four meetings straight up last season and went 2-2 ATS. The total went over three of four times.
The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo in the opener as he tallied 37 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and three steals. Malcolm Brogdon had 19 points and four assists, while Khris Middleton recorded 15 points to go with nine rebounds and six assists. Matthew Dellavedova added 15 points off the bench. Milwaukee outscored the hosts 32-20 in the fourth quarter to post the victory.
LeBron James accounted for 29 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in Tuesday’s win. Kevin Love had 15 points and 11 boards, while Derrick Rose put in 14 points. Cleveland led 54-38 at halftime before withstanding a second-half comeback by the Celtics.
The over is 12-2 in the last 14 meetings in Milwaukee and 20-7 overall in the last 27 meetings.
Milwaukee has one of the NBA’s most unguardable players in Antetokounmpo and it’s scary he still getting better every season as Wednesday’s opener evidenced. It’s always fun when King James and The Greak Freak are on the court together and this should be no different. We like the Bucks as a small home underdog. Maybe they lose the game on a buzzer-beater, but that is what the 2.5 points are for on the spread.
NBA DAILY PREDICTION: MILWAUKEE BUCKS +2.5