A pair of Central Division rivals take the floor in search of a victory as they take the floor on the shores of Lake Erie. The Milwaukee Bucks are on the road as they travel to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers Friday night. Milwaukee comes in off a 144-122 road win over Brooklyn in their previous game Wednesday night, covering the line as a 10-point favorite. Cleveland edged Dallas 113-110 on the road in their previous game Wednesday night, winning outright as a six-point underdog. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Bucks own a 130-99 advantage but the Cavaliers have won five of the last seven matchups, including the last two. The most recent meeting was a 114-102 Cleveland triumph at home on January 21, 2023.

Milwaukee Bucks Seeking to Expand Central Division Lead

Milwaukee won for the eighth time in nine games as they bounced back from a Christmas Day loss to the Knicks by rolling past the Nets Wednesday night. The Bucks improved to 22-8 on the season and lead the Central Division by five games over the Cavaliers. They were second in the Eastern Conference entering Thursday night, one game behind the Celtics for the top spot. Against Brooklyn, Milwaukee led by one after the opening quarter, by seven at the half and closed the third quarter with a 9-2 run to take an eight-point lead after three quarters. The Bucks pulled away in the fourth, outscoring the Nets 44-30, to earn the victory. Milwaukee shot a blistering 58.4% from the field, including 23 of 51 from three-point range, and held Brooklyn to 44.6% shooting in the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in the win.

The Bucks are 2nd in the league in scoring offense with 125.2 points per game on the season. Milwaukee is 11th in rebounding by pulling down 44.5 boards per contest while the team is 11th by dishing out 26.3 assists per game. The Bucks are 23rd in the league in scoring defense as they allow 119.2 points per contest this season. Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading Milwaukee with 30.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 5.6 assists per contest this season. Brook Lopez chips in 12.7 points plus 4.9 boards per game while Damian Lillard (25.7 points, 6.9 assists), Bobby Portis (12.9 points, 6.9 boards), Khris Middleton (14.3 points) and Malik Beasley (11.7 points) are good secondary scoring options. Jae Crowder, Cameron Payne, Pat Connaughton, MarJon Beauchamp, AJ Green and Andre Jackson Jr. are solid pieces in the mix as well. Milwaukee is 2nd in the league in field goal percentage by shooting 50.1% as a team this season. The Bucks are 6th in threes per game by draining 14.5 triples per contest and stand 3rd in three-point shooting by hitting 38.3% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Crowder (groin) last played on November 11 and suffered a left adductor plus an abdominal tear. He is expected to be out at least eight weeks, putting him out until sometime in January at best.

Cleveland Cavaliers Trying to Build Momentum

Cleveland won their second straight and their fifth in the last six games as they rallied to down the Mavericks on the road Wednesday night. The Cavaliers improved to 18-13 on the season and stood second in the Central Division, five games behind the Bucks for the top spot. They were sixth in the Eastern Conference, six games behind the Celtics for the top spot and held a half-game lead over the Knicks to remain in a guaranteed playoff position. Against Dallas, Cleveland trailed by 12 after the opening quarter, by 20 early in the second quarter and by 15 at the half. The Cavaliers trimmed the margin to eight after three quarters and were down nine midway through the fourth before outscoring Dallas 17-5 over the final 6:06 to earn the win. Cleveland shot 43.5% from the floor, including 17 of 43 from three-point range, and controlled the boards 57-37 to offset turning the ball over 16 times in the win. Caris LeVert led the Cavaliers with 29 points and seven assists in the win off the bench.

The Cavaliers come into this one ranked 23rd in the league in scoring offense as they put up an average of 112.1 points per game this season. Cleveland is 13th in rebounding as they grab 44.3 boards per contest and stand 13th in assists by handing out 26.2 dimes a contest this year. The Cavaliers are 7th in the league in scoring defense as they allow an average of 111.8 points per game this season. Donovan Mitchell leads the way in the scoring department for Cleveland as he puts up 27.7 points plus 5.5 assists a night on the year. Evan Mobley (16 points, 10.5 boards), Darius Garland (20.7 points, 5.9 assists), Isaac Okoro (8.5 points), Jarrett Allen (13.7 points, 9.2 rebounds) and Caris LeVert (15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists) each are solid secondary options. Max Strus (14.1 points), Dean Wade, Tristan Thompson, Georges Niang, Ty Jerome, Craig Porter and Damian Jones are other contributors in the Cavaliers’ rotation. Cleveland is 17th in the league in field goal percentage as they shoot 47.2% from the floor as a team on the year. The Cavaliers are 15th by knocking down an average of 12.6 three-pointers a night while they are 23rd by connecting on 35.4% of their attempts from beyond the arc.

Rubio (personal) remains away from the team and has no timetable to return at this point. Jerome (ankle) has been out since October 28 while Garland (jaw) last played December 14: both players are out indefinitely. Mobley (knee) last played on December 6 and is expected to be out until mid-January. Mitchell (illness) has missed the last four games while Merrill (wrist) missed the last two: both players are considered questionable for this contest so watch for updates on their respective statuses.