After a back-to-back where the Milwaukee Bucks lost to the fiery-hot Hawks on the road and beat the Pacers at home, they’ll take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday. The last time these two Central Division teams met, KPJ iced the game with a clean fadeaway over Jarrett Allen in one of the more memorable plays of the season. Since then, Milwaukee’s momentum has been halted by a difficult stretch of games, while Cleveland continues to wrestle for playoff positioning. Tuesday will
mark the last time Milwaukee plays Cleveland this season.
Where We’re At
After a difficult stretch of games where Milwaukee has won just two games (Utah, Indy) in their last ten, they seem primed to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The Bucks are struggling with consistency in scoring and concede an uncomfortable amount of three-pointers. Milwaukee’s shootout against the 15-53 Pacers marked a burst of offensive firepower Milwaukee has missed for most of the season. After shooting north of 50% from three through the efforts of players like Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins, the Bucks will look to continue their solid shooting in their home matchup against Cleveland.
Cleveland, much like Milwaukee, is looking for some steadiness after a tumultuous stretch of games. The Cavaliers are mired in a difficult playoff race, and recent losses to the likes of Boston and Orlando have knocked them down to fourth place, 7.5 games behind first-place Detroit. They travel to Fiserv Forum coming off an “embarrassing” 130-120 loss to Dallas, where they’ll try to fix their defensive mishaps and careless turnovers.
Injury Report
For the Bucks, Giannis is questionable with a sprained ankle. His ankle has been bugging him recently, and a potential hyperextended knee that took him out of Sunday’s game against the Pacers hasn’t helped. Although Giannis downplayed the scary leg injury, his ankle troubles make playing him a risky bet against the Cavs, especially with low stakes in a relatively meaningless game. Ousmane Dieng (illness) and Myles Turner (calf strain) are also marked as questionable.
The Cavs will miss Jarrett Allen, who averages north of 15 points per game, with tendonitis in the knee. Allen has missed the last five games with the injury and will miss Cleveland’s three-game road trip to undergo treatment. Craig Porter Jr. (groin) and Tyrese Proctor (quad) are also out, while Sam Merrill (questionable, hamstring) and Jaylon Tyson (probable, ankle) round out their injury list.
Player to Watch
Cam Thomas has logged 19 minutes across the last three games, even sitting out the entirety of the Bucks’ Sunday win over Indiana. Thomas is a gifted scorer whose main strength comes from his ability to create separation off the dribble and convert tough jumpers. However, struggles with efficiency and an inability to mesh with the established Bucks rotation have left Thomas in the dust when it comes to playing time. Thomas is averaging 7.4 points in 13.4 minutes per game, posting shooting splits of .375/.278/.667 in March. Could Doc take another chance on such an unpredictable scorer, especially against a floundering Cavaliers defense?
How To Watch
Watch on NBC/Peacock or FanDuel Sports Network at 7 p.m. CDT.
