Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers Betting Pick & Prediction 12/20/24

At 7:30 ET, the Milwaukee Bucks will travel to Cleveland to take on the Cavaliers in an Eastern Central Division matchup. The Cavs are favored by 9 and have a record of 23-4, while the Bucks are 14-11 and have won 3 straight.

This game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and can be seen on NBA TV. The over/under line is set at 223.5.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS VS CLEVELAND CAVALIERS BETTING PICK

The Pick: Cleveland Cavaliers -9

This game will be played at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse at 7:30 ET on Friday, December 20th.

WHY BET THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS:

• We have this one finishing with a projected score of 130-117 in favor of the Cavaliers.
• Our projections have Donovan Mitchell finishing with 24 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
• From the field, we have the Cavaliers finishing with a field goal percentage of 47.5% and knocking down 16 threes.

Does Milwaukee Have a Shot at a Road Win?

With a 110-102 win over the Hawks on Saturday, the Bucks improved to 14-11 for the season. Milwaukee, favored by 3.5 points, covered the spread at home. The total points for the game were 212, falling short of the 233-point O/U line.

A key 12-0 run helped the Bucks take control early, but the Hawks fought back, outscoring Milwaukee 34-27 in the 3rd quarter. Entering the 4th quarter down 83-82, the Bucks clamped down defensively, holding Atlanta to 19 points while scoring 28 to seal the win.

Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks to a win over the Hawks, finishing with 32 points, 14 rebounds, and 9 assists while shooting 66.7% from the field. Damian Lillard added 25 points, hitting 5 threes at a 35.7% clip, despite shooting just 38.1% overall.

Milwaukee made 14 threes, shooting 31.1% from deep and 45.3% overall. Giannis scored 10 points in the 4th quarter, while Lillard added 11 in the 3rd. Brook Lopez also contributed 7 of his 16 points in the final period.

The Bucks’ defense came through when it mattered, holding the Hawks to just 19 points in the 4th quarter to secure the win. They also put together a strong 2nd quarter, allowing only 21 points. Overall, Milwaukee gave up 102 points on 42% shooting.

Milwaukee limited Atlanta to 10 made threes, though the Hawks shot 41% from deep. The Bucks sent the Hawks to the line 34 times, where they hit 22 free throws. Milwaukee controlled the boards, giving up 7 offensive rebounds, and added 8 steals and 8 blocks.

Can the Cavaliers Please their Home Crowd?

The Cavaliers improved to 23-4 on the season after a dominant 130-101 win over the Nets on Monday. Cleveland, favored by 10.5 points, covered the spread with ease. The game’s total score of 231 points exceeded the O/U line of 215.5 by 15.5 points.

Cleveland took control early, going on a 16-0 run to extend the score from 17-15 to 31-17. They outscored Brooklyn 37-17 in the 1st quarter and 35-23 in the 2nd. While the Nets won the 3rd quarter 37-32, Cleveland entered the 4th with a 104-77 lead and edged out the Nets 26-24 in the final period.

In their win over the Nets, the Cavaliers put up 130 points, shooting 53.1% from the field and hitting 19 threes at a 40.4% clip. Evan Mobley led the way with 21 points, 10 of which came in the 3rd quarter, and Caris LeVert added 19 points, knocking down 6 threes at 66.7%.

Donovan Mitchell contributed 18 points, with 7 coming in the 3rd, while Georges Niang scored 8 of his 17 points in the same quarter. Darius Garland added 11 points, 8 of which came in the opening period.

The Cavaliers put on a strong defensive performance against the Nets, holding them to 101 points on 42% shooting. Cleveland set the tone early, allowing just 17 points in the 1st quarter and 23 in the 2nd. Even after a 37-point 3rd quarter from Brooklyn, the Cavaliers tightened up in the 4th, giving up only 24 points.

From beyond the arc, the Nets hit 14 threes at a 41% clip. Cleveland sent Brooklyn to the line 24 times, where they made 19 free throws. The Cavaliers also recorded 14 steals and 6 blocks in the game.