Two of the best players in the world will face off next week when the Milwaukee Bucks head to Ohio to take on the Cleveland Cavaliers. The question is, which superstar will have the more effective supporting cast? Giannis Antetokounmpo has risen to one of the most dominant players in the NBA in 2017-18 but the players around him have been up and down. LeBron James has long been the best player on the planet but similarly has dealt with inconsistency around him.
Cleveland has been locked in as the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference for quite a while but there are several teams hot on its tail. The Bucks can get in that hunt, pulling to just two games back, if they can pull off the upset in this one. However, Milwaukee has not been that good on the road this year and will need to play well to surprise the Cavaliers.
Don't miss the hardwood action from the Quicken Loans Arena at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, March 19, 2018. Catch every moment of the game live on NBATV.
We'll have NBA odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Monday schedule.
Odds Analysis
The Bucks are 37-32 straight up 28-38-3 against the spread. Milwaukee has gone 17-15-1 against the spread on the road this season. The Bucks are 12-15-1 against the spread as the underdog.
The Cavaliers are 39-29 straight up and 22-45-1 against the spread. Cleveland has been terrible attempting to cover the NBA basketball spread at home, with a record of 7-25-1. The Cavaliers are an ugly 12-40-1 against the spread as the favorite.
Matchup To Watch
James vs. Antetokounmpo —Even though there’s about a decade of age between them, it’s going to be a blast to watch both stars putting on a show. James and Antetokounmpo are their respective teams’ best players and whoever plays better Monday will give their team a good shot at the victory.
At 33, James remains one of the most dominant players in the league and comes into this matchup after putting up 33 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a win over Chicago on Saturday. He leads the Cavs in points, assists, steals and blocks and has captured two triple-doubles in the last three games.
Antetokounmpo has been equally as impressive statically and is averaging 27.3 points and 10.1 rebounds per game this year for Milwaukee. He had 27 points against Cleveland in the Bucks’ recent matchup on December 19th and finished with 40 points against the Cavs back in November.
Key Stat
3.5 That’s the number of games that separate five different teams in the Eastern Conference. All of them are set to make the postseason as there is a large gap between current No. 8 seed Miami and the No. 9 seed Pistons, but there is plenty of room to maneuver up and down as the regular season winds down.
The Cavs are currently atop the group, but the Wizards and Pacers are both within a half-game. The Bucks sit in the No. 7 spot, 1.5 games behind the 76ers and just a half-game ahead of Miami.
Cleveland needs to take care of business in this game and finish strong because there are a lot of teams waiting to take their No. 3 spot. If the Cavaliers end the year slowly is is possible they drop to the No. 5 seed or lower, which would mean no home court advantage in the first round and likely beyond.
Free NBA ATS Picks
The Cavaliers have been up and down all season. Even in a game that they look like they should win, there are big questions about whether that will happen. James is still playing at an extremely high level but he does not have a lot of help.
The Bucks are the choice in this one to go on the road and come away with the surprising victory. Antetokounmpo is going to have a monster night to lead the upset.
NBA Odds: Bucks 116, Cavaliers 112
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