The Cleveland Cavaliers have won six of their last seven games, including a 95-92 win over the Indiana Pacers on Friday.
The Milwaukee Bucks are trending in the complete opposite direction, losing six of their last seven games, the latest coming in a 129-127 3OT loss to Brooklyn.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (45-26)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.9 ppg, 5.2 apg
G J.R. Smith – 12.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 7.3 apg
F Kevin Love – 16.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.8 ppg, 7.1 rpg
Milwaukee Bucks (34-35)
G Michael Carter-Williams –14.2 ppg, 5.6 apg
G Khris Middleton – 13.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg
F Giannis Antetokounmpo – 12.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg
F Ersan Ilyasova – 10.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg
C ZazaPachulia – 8.0 ppg, 6.7 rpg
What to watch for:
How much intensity will Cleveland play with?
The Cavs have had a tendency to come out sluggish against bad teams, and though Milwaukee is still in the playoff picture, they're struggling as much as any team in the NBA. The Bucks are trying to do everything they can to turn their season around, so if Cleveland tries to sleepwalk through this game, they'll lose.
Prediction: Cavs win 105-98
Even if Cleveland starts slow, the Bucks have shown lately that they won't do enough down the stretch to pull out a victory. Look for the Cavs to start to pull away in the third quarter, and then hold of Milwaukee in the fourth.
Be sure to follow our Cavs insider @brauf33 on Twitter and follow our Cleveland Cavaliers page for all the latest news!
Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed