Cavaliers Rounding into Form with New-Look Bucks on Deck
Bucks vs Cavaliers Line Movements: Cleveland 8-3 ATS in Last 11
The Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers will rekindle their rivalry on Friday (7:30 p.m. ET) at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Milwaukee opened as a 5-point favorite and -192 on the moneyline. Conversely, Cleveland is +5 on the NBA betting line and +160 to win outright. The projected total is 239.
What can bettors expect? To help bettors assess the Bucks vs Cavaliers line movements, let’s break down both teams in our NBA game preview.
Milwaukee Bucks at Cleveland Cavaliers 
Date, time:
Location: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland
Streaming: Live Sports Stream
Betting Trends
The Milwaukee Bucks are 14-17 ATS, including 7-6 away from home. Milwaukee also has a record of 21-10 against the Over/Under, the third-highest Over rate (67.7%) in the NBA. Meanwhile, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 15-14-2 ATS, including 7-8-1 at home. The Cavaliers have gone Over the projected total in 16 of their 29 games.
Remembering these trends when analyzing the Bucks vs Cavaliers line movements is important.
Bucks Getting Back on Track
After a suspect start under first-year coach Adrian Griffin, the Milwaukee Bucks have kicked it into gear. Milwaukee’s won eight of its last nine games, including a 144-122 victory over Brooklyn on Wednesday. The Bucks, 10-point favorites, got 32 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and a pair of blocks from Giannis Antetokounmpo to improve to 23-8. They’re now just one game behind Boston for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
As anticipated, Milwaukee has leaned heavily on its star-studded duo of Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. They’ve accounted for 45.1% of the Bucks’ scoring, with Antetokounmpo averaging 30.8 points and Lillard 25.7. As a team, Milwaukee ranks second in both scoring (125.2 PPG) and field goal percentage (50.1).
Oddsmakers remain bullish on Milwaukee, and with good reason. The Bucks, who own the NBA’s fourth-best point differential at plus-5.9, are +180 to advance out of the NBA East playoffs and +400 to win it all. As of Thursday morning, only the Celtics (+350) were bigger favorites.
Although the Bucks have been a bit unpredictable for ATS bettors, they’re one of the NBA’s most consistent teams at hitting the Over. In fact, the Bucks have gone Over the projected total in 11 of their last 14 games and 21 of 31 overall. The Bucks have been favored in every game, except a 119-116 loss to Boston on Nov. 22. Keep that in mind when assessing the Bucks vs Cavaliers line movements.
Notably, Antetokounmpo is +1000 to win NBA MVP, one of five players with 10/1 odds or better.
Cavs on a Heater
The Cleveland Cavaliers continued their recent surge on Wednesday, upsetting the Mavericks 113-110 on the road. The 6-point underdogs Cavaliers were without their top three scorers, including star guard Donovan Mitchell (illness).
The Cavaliers are now 18-13, with five wins over their last six games.
While guard Darius Garland (jaw) and center Evan Mobley (knee) are both out indefinitely, Mitchell’s absence is expected to be brief. The four-time All-Star is off to another terrific start, averaging a team-high 27.7 points on 46.4% shooting (35.1% from 3) to go with 5.6 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals.
Cleveland’s been on a strong run ATS, having covered in eight of its last 11 games. As an underdog, the Cavaliers are 7-6 ATS and 6-7 OU. The Cavaliers have also gone Over the projected total in five of their last eight games.
Notably, Cleveland is +2500 to make the Finals and +6000 to win it all.
Handicapping the Game
The Cavaliers can handle Milwaukee at home, but that task will be a lot more difficult if Mitchell can’t go. Mitchell was listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game before being ruled out shortly before tip, so it could be just a one-game absence.
Regardless, both teams should put up plenty of points. While the Bucks rank second in scoring, they’re also bottom-10 defensively. Opponents are averaging 119.5 points and shooting 46.9%.
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