Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Odds 24/01/2024
Calendar icon Updated 14 Feb 05:52

Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction, Odds 24/01/2024

Jon Conahan Jon Conahan

Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers. Shape of the Teams

The new-look Milwaukee Bucks will take on the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night. Milwaukee made the decision on Tuesday to fire head coach Adrian Griffin, and it’s uncertain how the team’s going to look after the firing.

Despite the fact that they did just fire their head coach, Milwaukee enters this game as one of the best teams in basketball. They currently have the second-best record in the Eastern Conference and are tied for the second-best record in the entire NBA.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, have now won eight straight games and are 8-2 in their last 10. That includes a win over this same Bucks team last Wednesday as they won at 135-95. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo didn’t play in that game, but it’s uncertain if he would’ve changed a 40-point outcome.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction

Everything would tell you to take the Cavaliers in this game, but with Milwaukee playing for a new head coach in interim Joe Prunty, it might not be a bad idea to back them. They could have a different type of energy coming into this game, and it could be the deciding factor.

There was a decision coming from someone higher up to make a coaching change and many players on the Bucks had to have agreed with that. They wouldn’t have fired a coach in the middle of the season unless multiple players went to the front office and said they wanted this to be the case. Now that this happened, we could be seeing a different Bucks team.

Even with the season that the Bucks were having, while not as impressive as many were expecting, they have the second-best offensive rating in basketball at 120.6. Their defensive rating of 116.8 was the eighth worst in basketball, but they’ve been so good offensively that they still have the 10th-best net rating in the league.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been a tough team to beat this season, sitting with a 4.5 net rating, which ranks ninth in basketball. Cleveland is one of the best defensive teams in basketball, with a 110.7 defensive rating, ranking fourth in the NBA. They’re 115.2 offensive rating hasn’t been too impressive, sitting 15th in the league.

Given their injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, this should be a game the Bucks play well in. Giannis likely plays and if that’s the case, Milwaukee has a chance to win any game they’re playing.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Tip

Taking guards to hit their point total against the Bucks is always the best bet of the night. Milwaukee legitimately has one of the worst defences in basketball, and with Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley both leading their point-of-attack defence, that’s not going to change against Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell enters play averaging 27.8 points per game and has been on a tear in recent weeks.

He’s scored 31, 34, and 45 in three of his last 15. In his last game against the Bucks, he dropped 31 in 26 minutes.

Given the circumstances, this game will likely be much closer, so expect him to score even more than 31 this time. If he plays 35-plus minutes like he does on most nights, there’s a chance he might score 50 points.

The Bucks are giving up the fourth most points allowed to point guards this season, allowing 26.63 per game.

Disclaimer: Odds are accurate at the time of posting and subject to change. Please verify the latest odds on our platform before betting.

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