The Milwaukee Bucks (22-8) are in Cleveland tonight, set to play the Cavaliers (21-11) in a battle of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
Game preview
The Bucks are coming off an impressive offensive game and a big win against the New Orleans Pelicans, and they will look to build momentum in their next game against the Cavs.
This will be the third game this season between these two division rivals, as Milwaukee holds a 2-0 lead in the season series thus far. But it will be anything but easy, as Cleveland is just a few games behind the Bucks in the hunt for the No. 1 seed.
Led by the dynamic backcourt duo of Donovan Mitchell (29.3 ppg, 4.4 apg) and Darius Garland (20.7 ppg, 8.0 apg), Cleveland has truly taken a step forward into the elite group of teams in the Eastern Conference. Jrue Holiday and Jevon Carter will have their hands full.
To add to these two guys, the massive frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is a rare example of a duo that can compete with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.
Three-point shooting could be the key to victory, as both teams are excellent at protecting the paint and blocking the lanes. The Cavs rank 8th in the entire NBA when it comes to shooting from deep, hitting 37% of their long shots. With a dynamic backcourt and multiple scorers like Kevin Love and Caris LeVert, Cleveland has a good offensive arsenal at its disposal.
The shooting has been pretty inconsistent for Milwaukee this season, but tonight Grayson Allen, Pat Connaughton or even Joe Ingles could get hot and change the game. It’s sure to be an entertaining battle between two great teams.
Injury report
Khris Middleton is likely to miss his third straight game as a doubt with a sore knee.
For the Cavs, Ricky Rubio (knee), Dean Wade (sprained AC) and Dylan Windler (ankle) are out, and Lamar Stevens is questionable with a knee injury.
.
Comments