The Milwaukee Bucks (14-11) travel to face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4) on Friday, December 20th. This game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland and televised on NBA. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 7:30 ET.

Bucks vs Cavaliers

The Bucks Are Coming Off A Win

The Bucks improved to 14-11 on the season with a 110-102 win over the Hawks on Saturday. Milwaukee, playing at home, covered the -3.5 point spread, while the game’s total of 212 points fell well short of the 233-point O/U line.

Milwaukee’s 12-0 run early in the game was key, as they took the lead from 28-27 to 39-28. After Atlanta fought back in the 3rd quarter, the Bucks responded by holding the Hawks to 19 points in the 4th quarter while scoring 28 of their own.

The Cavaliers Are Coming Off A Win

The Cavaliers improved to 23-4 this season with a dominant 130-101 win over the Nets on Monday. Cleveland, favored by 10.5 points, covered the spread with the 29-point victory. The total score of 231 points exceeded the O/U line of 215.5 by 15.5 points.

Cleveland took control early with a 16-0 run, stretching the score from 17-15 to 31-17. They outscored the Nets 37-17 in the 1st quarter and 35-23 in the 2nd. After leading 104-77 going into the 4th, the Cavaliers edged the Nets 26-24 in the final quarter.

Bucks Offense Breakdown

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a win over the Hawks with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists, shooting 66.7% from the field. Damian Lillard added 25 points, hitting 5 threes at 35.7%, though he shot just 38.1% overall. Brook Lopez contributed 16 points, shooting 70% from the field and making 2 threes at 40%.

The Bucks connected on 14 threes, shooting 31.1% from deep and 45.3% overall. Giannis scored 10 points in the 4th quarter, while Lillard added 11 in the 3rd. Lopez also chipped in 7 points in the final period.

Cavaliers Offense Breakdown

In their win over the Nets, the Cavaliers shot 53.1% from the field and hit 19 threes at a 40.4% clip. Evan Mobley led the way with 21 points, scoring 10 in the 3rd and 9 in the 4th.

Caris LeVert added 19 points, knocking down 6 threes at 66.7% efficiency, with 9 points in the 1st quarter and 10 in the 2nd. Donovan Mitchell contributed 18 points, including 7 in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th.

Bucks Team Defense

The Bucks’ defense came up big in the 4th quarter, allowing just 19 points to help secure a 110-102 win over the Hawks. They also had a strong 2nd quarter, giving up only 21 points. Overall, Milwaukee held Atlanta to 102 points on 42% shooting.

From beyond the arc, the Bucks limited the Hawks to 10 threes, despite Atlanta shooting 41% from deep. Milwaukee sent the Hawks to the line 34 times, where they hit 22 free throws. The Bucks grabbed 41 defensive rebounds, gave up 7 offensive boards, and added 8 steals and 8 blocks.

Cavaliers Team Defense

Defensively, the Bucks were solid in their win over the Hawks, allowing 102 points on 42% shooting. They gave up 28 points in the 1st quarter but tightened up in the 2nd, allowing just 21. After a rough 3rd quarter where they allowed 34 points, they bounced back in the 4th, holding the Hawks to 19 points.

Milwaukee limited Atlanta to 10 made threes, though the Hawks shot 41% from deep. The Bucks sent the Hawks to the line 34 times, where they hit 22 free throws. Milwaukee controlled the glass, giving up just 7 offensive rebounds, and added 8 steals and 8 blocks.

Bucks vs Cavaliers Trends

• Across their ten previous road games, Milwaukee has an ATS mark of 4-6. Their straight up record in these matchups was 3-7 while averaging 108 points per game.
• Across their last three home contests, Cleveland has been good against the spread posting a mark of 2-1. Their overall mark in these games was 2-1, while averaging 119 points per game.
• Going back to their previous five games as the underdog, Milwaukee has an ATS mark of 3-2 while going 1-4 straight up.
• Spanning across their last ten games as the betting favorite, the Cavaliers have gone 6-4 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 7-3.

Bucks vs Cavaliers Prediction

We’re putting our money on the Cavaliers to win, and have the projected score sitting at 130-117. We also like them to cover the spread, so our recommendation is to bet on the Cavaliers at -9.

Regarding the over/under, the current line is set at 223.5, and our model predicts the Bucks and Cavaliers to score a combined 247 points. We recommend betting on the over.

---

All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!

---

* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.