NBA Odds - Cavaliers at Bucks Game Preview

Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks got their seasons off to a good start with wins over the Boston Celtics. Cleveland knocked off Boston at home on Opening Night in a game where they were up by double digits in the first half, but needed to withstand a furious Celtics charge late. Milwaukee flipped the script on Boston by pouring it on in the fourth quarter to get past a tired Celtics squad. Now, it’s time to see whether Cleveland or Milwaukee is the superior team.

Don’t miss the hardwood action from the BMO Harris Bradley Center at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, October 20, 2017. Catch every moment of the game live on ESPN. We’ll have NBA opening odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the NBA Friday schedule.

Odds Analysis

This is a battle of old school versus new school. The Cavaliers have a ton of older talent with guys like LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Love, and JR Smith receiving significant minutes in the season opener.

For Milwaukee, it’s all about Giannis Antetokuonmpo. The Greek Freak has already been hailed as the next great superstar in the NBA and looked like it in Milwaukee’s opener. The Bucks also have last year’s Rookie of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to help him out.

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Antetokuonmpo took over the game late against the Celtics. He finished with 37 points and led the Bucks in the come from behind victory with 16 of the team’s 32 fourth-quarter points. The Greek Freak turned the ball over a little too much, but did haul in 13 rebounds too.

There’s no denying that he is a matchup nightmare. Antetokounmpo may be the third toughest player to guard in the NBA, only behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant. He has all the tools you need to succeed in his arsenal. He is tall and lanky, but has amazing quickness and an incredible vert. When you couple that with amazing balance, it’s not surprising that he’s typically the best athlete on the floor.

He has typically performed very well against Cleveland. Last season, he shot 50 percent from the floor against the Cavaliers and averaged over nine rebounds and five assists as well. Antetokuonmpo should be able to continue to find success in this one.

Key Stat

Cleveland is the favorite to win the East again this season, but there is a potential chink in the armor. This team might be one of the worst three-point shooting squads in 2017-18. James has never been particularly good from downtown in his career, and Rose and Wade aren’t great perimeter shooters either at this stage in their careers.

That was one of the reasons the team brought back Kyle Korver. Korver was able to shoot the lights out last year once he came over from Atlanta, but he didn’t see much action in the opener. Look to see whether or not he plays more in this one.

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This is a great spot to take Milwaukee. Even though Cleveland is going to be more well-rested with two days off instead of one, Boston showed that this team has some weaknesses. Brogdon is a world-class defender and will be able to limit whoever he is guarding, while Greg Monroe should be able to put together a big game down low.

The key to it all is Antetokounmpo. He can take over a game like few can and is going to really come into his own this season. A win over LeBron and the Cavs in Milwaukee’s home opener is a great way to announce his presence to the nation. This will be a duel between the two superstars, but for once Milwaukee will be able to come out ahead here.

NBA Odds: Bucks 105 – Cavaliers 102

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