The (26-16) Cleveland Cavaliers take on the (31-13) Milwaukee Bucks in an Eastern conference showdown between two top five teams in the East on Friday night. Tip off is set for 8:00pm ET as the Bucks are coming into this matchup as 5.5 point favorites.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming into this game winners of four of their last five games and most recently lost to the Bucks in their last game by a final score of 126-116. Leading the way offensively for the Cavaliers was Donovan Mitchell who had 23 points on 10/24 shooting from the field. As a team, the Cavs shot 50.5% from the field and also shot 34.2% from beyond the arc.

The Milwaukee Bucks are coming into this matchup winners of four of their last five games and currently find themselves on a three game winning streak. In their last game against the Cavaliers, Giannis Antetokounmpo led the way offensively with 35 points on 16/24 shooting from the field. As a team, the Bucks shot 50% from the field and won the rebounding battle, out rebounding the Cavs by seven, 46-39.

Bucks Are “Star-Studded”

Officially, the Milwaukee Bucks will have two representatives starting in the All-Star game this season, as announced on TNT Thursday evening. Giannis Antetekounmpo and Damian Lillard have gotten the nod, the first time being a starter for Damian Lillard and it is much deserved as the Bucks are the second best team in the East with a 31-13 record this season. While the Bucks have had continued success thanks to the strong play of their All-Stars, they have had a lot of key contributions from guys that have stepped up due to departures from other familar faces that helped the Bucks secure an NBA title in 2021. Kris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Brook Lopez, and new addition Malik Beasley are all averaging double figures in scoring this season and have been huge taking the weight off of Damian Lillard and Giannis. The Bucks are bringing in a reinforcement, recently hiring head coach Doc Rivers to a deal that will make him the coach of the Bucks until the 2026-27 season.

The Bucks decided to part ways with Adrian Griffin after a terrific start, however per reports, Griffin lost some of the locker room and the learning curve with this group didn’t match the timeline to win a championship as the Bucks are clearly a win-now organization. With the departure of Jrue Holiday, the Bucks are in need of a defensive minded head coach, and that is exactly what Doc Rivers brings to the equation as the leader of this team.

The Cavaliers Are 8-2 In Their Last Ten Games

The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing some of their most inspired basketball in the Donovan Mitchell era and it has led them to a 26-16 record and currently, a fifth spot in the eastern conference standings. Donovan Mitchell has been the story for this team, playing without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley for an extended amount of time and still thriving with the group as it is currently constructed in terms of minutes distribution. Mitchell is averaging 27.6 points per game this season and has played in 33 of the teams 42 points. Donovan Mitchell is also leading this team in assists, averaging over six per contest and has had to do all of the heavy lifting due to Darius Garland missing significant time battling a jaw injury suffered in December. Before their most recent loss to the Bucks a couple of days ago, the Cavaliers tallied off eight consecutive wins and looked like they were going to start pulling away with a top five conference standing.

Now that the Knicks are starting to win consecutive games, the rce just got a whole lot more interesting. Currently, the Cavaliers are shooting 47.9% from the field which ranks 11th in the NBA, and they are seventh in rebounds as they have been led all season long by Jarrett Allen who is averaging 10.3 per game. This is a team that scores 114 points per game and also allows their opponents to 110.1 which ranks second in the NBA.