Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers Preview: One of these streaks has to end, right?

After the Milwaukee Bucks couldn’t rise above their early-season troubles on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum, they’ll get one more chance to take down the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers on the road this evening. At state for the latter is an 8-0 start, and for the former, a six-game losing streak, which would be Milwaukee’s longest since March 2015.

Where We’re At

Incremental progress the Bucks showed in the early goings two nights ago were largely undone by more of the same problems: shaky defense, missed free throws, few contributions from the rest of the offense, and streaky three-point shooting. While the Bucks actually did a good job in transition for once (an above-average 118.2 DRtg), they struggled in the halfcourt (102.2 DRtg, seven points higher than league average). Giannis Antetokounmpo missed three of seven free throws, which won’t surprise anyone, but Damian Lillard also missed three, looming large in a narrow defeat. After a Lillard-fueled 8/15 first quarter from deep, Milwaukee hit just five of their next fifteen three-point attempts as Cleveland got back in control after an early sixteen-point deficit. The Bucks’ five-game losing streak matches one from February 2021, and we all know what happened that season. Still, some positives from the other night included sterling performances from Giannis and Dame, both individually and in the two-man game. They combined for 75 points, but aside from Taurean Prince’s sixteen and Bobby Portis’ ten, no other buck had more than six points.

Cleveland needed a near last-second prayer from Donovan Mitchell to keep their winning streak alive, but they remain undefeated under new head coach Kenny Atkinson as they return home. One of the league’s most prolific offenses, they have seven regulars shooting better than 40% from downtown and get a nice balanced mix of scoring from Mitchell (24.4 PPG), a trio of starters all between 15–18 PPG, plus Caris LeVert (12.0 PPG) and Ty Jerome (9.9 PPG) off their bench. Their effective field goal and true shooting percentages both top the league by 2–3%. None of their defensive numbers stick out as much, but their fourth in the league per Cleaning The Glass because they’re excellent at controlling things in transition and in the halfcourt.

Injury Report

As has been the case for six games, Khris Middleton remains out as he recovers from two offseason ankle surgeries, but a new, worrisome addition is Giannis. Previously listed with tendinitis, he’s now questionable with an adductor strain. Pat Connaughton is probable with an adductor strain of his own, while MarJon Beauchamp is out with a non-Covid illness.

Max Struss will miss again with an ankle sprain, as will first-round pick Jaylon Tyson with a hip sprain. Sixth man Caris LeVert is questionable with knee soreness.

Player To Watch

Gary Trent Jr. has been mired in a shooting slump all over the floor, finally getting a three to fall in Saturday’s fourth quarter, his lone bucket on the evening. He continues getting great looks with plenty of open space with 4.2 3PA per game classified as wide open (defender at least six feet away), the sixteenth-highest total in the league. However, he’s shooting a mere 32% on these after canning 51.3% of his 3.3 per game last season. Mean correction has to be coming.

How To Watch

FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin and NBA TV at 6:00 PM CST.

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