Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Prediction, betting tips | Dec. 29, 2023

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Milwaukee Bucks in an NBA regular season game on Friday night. It will be the first matchup between the two teams this season. Both teams have had solid runs in their last games.

The Bucks have won eight of their last nine games as they continue their road trip in Cleveland after a three-game stay in New York City.

The Cavaliers, meanwhile, are returning home after back-to-back road wins against the Chicago Bulls and the Dallas Mavericks. The Cavaliers have won five of their last six games.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Preview, betting tips, predictions

The Bucks (23-8) play the Cavaliers (18-13) on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland.

The game will be aired nationally on NBA TV and locally on Bally Sports' Wisconsin and Ohio networks.

Moneyline: Bucks (-245) vs Cavaliers (+200)

Spread: Bucks -5.5 (-110) vs Cavaliers +5.5 (-110)

Total (O/U): 239.5

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Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Preview

This the third straight time the Cavaliers are hosting the Bucks, with Cleveland winning the previous two.

The Bucks are moving out of New York City after playing the New York Knicks twice and the Brooklyn Nets. The Bucks have gone 2-1 in their three-game stay in New York.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are back at home after beating the Bulls and the Mavericks on the road.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Starting lineups

Giannis Antetokounmpo played through a calf injury and nearly posted a triple-double in the Bucks' win against the Nets.

He's expected to start anew for the Bucks along with Khris Middleton, Brook Lopez, Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley.

Meanwhile, Jarrett Allen, who had a monster 20-20 game against the Mavericks, leads the Cavaliers' projected starting unit anew along with Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, Max Strus and Craig Porter Jr.

Porter could get more playing time, as Donovan Mitchell remains questionable for the Cavaliers with an illness, sitting out four games.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Key players, betting tips

Both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jarrett Allen had impressive double-doubles to lead their respective teams to recent wins.

Antetokounmpo finished with 32 points and 10 rebounds against the Nets and came close to a triple-double with eight assists.

His combined points and rebounds are almost equal to his current point-rebound prop of 42.5, but MGM Bet (over) and Fan Duel (under) have contrasting projections if he's going to make it to the prop again.

Interestingly enough, there's no projection for Allen, who had 24 points and 23 rebounds against the Mavericks from Covers.com, which only had a projection for the sick Mitchell among the Cavaliers.

If Mitchell gets cleared, though, he's projected by Points Bet to go under his current point prop of 30.5.

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Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers: Predictions

The betting line opened with the Bucks as -245 favorites over the Cavaliers (+200 underdogs). The projection is interesting, as the Cavaliers won their last two head-to-head clashes, and the game will be in Cleveland again.

The Bucks are also -5.5 favorites over the Cavaliers, but considering their previous head-to-head games and their current winning trends, it's recommended to be conservative in taking your pick and consider rooting for the Cavaliers.