The Milwaukee Bucks and the Cleveland Cavaliers go head to head in an Eastern Conference clash of the titans when they square off at the Fisvers Forum on Monday night
Having failed to win any of the last five meetings between the two teams, the Bucks will head into this one looking to get one over the visitors and secure a fifth win on the spin for the first time since January.
Match preview
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Milwaukee Bucks continue to climb the Eastern Conference power rankings as they rolled past the Dallas Mavericks 137-107 at the Fiserv Forum last Thursday.
Damian Lillard led the Bucks with 34 points in an efficient 73% shooting from the field while Giannis Antetokounmpo tallied 32 points and 15 rebounds to complete his 42nd double-double of the season.
Milwaukee Bucks have now won four games on the trot, seeing off the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and the Mavericks, and have won eight of their last nine outings across the last 22 days.
Doc Rivers's men are well on course for the playoff as they hold a 36-25 record from their 61 regular-season matches to sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings, four wins behind third-placed New York Knicks albeit with two games in hand.
While the Bucks will be looking to keep the juggernaut rolling on Monday, they face the stern challenge of taking on the NBA leaders, who have won each of the last four meetings between the two sides since January 2024.
Before their highly-anticipated clash against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Milwaukee will play host to the Orlando Magic, who have lost their last three clashes since a 113-88 victory in April 2024.
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The Cavaliers, on the other hand, continued their charge to the Eastern Conference title as they rallied to see off the Charlotte Hornets 118-117 at the Spectrum Center on Friday night.
Mikel Bridges knocked down a late 3-pointer to cut Cleveland's lead to one with seven seconds on the shot clock but Donovan Mitchell converted on his two trips to the free-throw line to put the visits.
While Bridges scored 46 points to keep Charlotte in the fight, De'Andre Hunter (15), Evan Mobley (19), Darius Garland (20) and Mitchell (24) finished with 15+ points for the Cavs to condemn the Hornets to a ninth defeat on the bounce.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have now won each of their last 13 games, stretching back to a 112-105 defeat against the Boston Celtics when the two sides faced off at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on February 5.
Kenny Atkinson's men have now won at least 12 straight back-to-back games on three different occasions, becoming the first sides to achieve this feat since the Dallas Mavericks back in the 2006-07 campaign.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are now 53-10 from their 63 regular-season games to lead the way at the top of the Eastern Conference standings, eight wins above reigning champions Boston Celtics in second place.
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Team News
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Experienced guard Pat Connaughton has been ruled out of Sunday's clash against the Orlando Magic through a calf injury and the 32-year-old is a major doubt for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Gary Trent Jr. is listed as a doubt for the Magic clash due to a knee injury while Lillard is dealing with an eye issue and will be assessed before Monday's game against Cleveland.
As for the Cleveland Cavaliers, they head into the game with a clean bill of health and no suspension concerns, giving Atkinson a full-strength team to select from.
Mitchell has dropped 20+ points in each of his last four matches and the 28-year-old Guard, who is averaging 24.4 points per game this season, will be looking to lead the Cavs to a 14th consecutive victory.
Milwaukee Bucks possible starting 5:
Lillard, Prince, Lopez, Kuzma, Antetokounmpo
Cleveland Cavaliers possible starting 5:
Mitchell, Garland, Allen, Mobley, Stus
We say: Milwaukee Bucks to win by 5+ points.
Tuesday's game sees two of the top contesters out of the East do battle and we anticipate an exciting contest at the Fisvers Forum. While we expect Cleveland to put up a fight here, we see Antetokounmpo leading the Bucks to a hard-fought victory.
Joshua Ojele
