The Milwaukee Bucks will be facing the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night on the road in its first game back from winning the NBA In-Season Tournament Cup Championship against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The matchup between Milwaukee and Cleveland will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CT time at Rocket Mortage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
This season, the Bucks have a 14-11 record and are the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. As for the Cavaliers, they have a 23-4 record and are the first seed in the Eastern Conference.
Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers Projected Starting Lineup
The Bucks will be shorthanded against the Cavaliers on Friday night. Damian Lillard will be out against Cleveland because of injury. Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo are both listed as game-time decisions for Milwaukee. The projected starting lineup for Doc Rivers’s squad on Friday night will be:
Brook Lopez, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Tauren Prince, Andre Jackson, and Delon Wright. It appears that Middleton may not play for them once again in this NBA contest. If Antetokounmpo is ruled for this matchup, Milwaukee will be extremely shorthanded in this NBA matchup.
As for Kenny Atkinson and the Cleveland Cavaliers, the project starting five for them will be Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, Dean Wade, Donovan Mitchell, and Darius Garland. This is one of the best-starting fives in the NBA. Isaac Okoro is ruled out of this game with an injury and Max Strus is a game-time decision for Cleveland.
Cleveland Has Already Beaten Them Twice This Season
The Bucks and the Cavaliers have already played each other twice this season with Cleveland winning both games over Milwaukee. Both of those games were close. At that point of the season, it was when the Bucks were playing its worst basketball and when Cleveland was off to a hot start.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ hot start was no fluke as they are on track to be the number-one seed in the Eastern Conference. As for the Milwaukee Bucks, this might be a hard game for them to win on the road.
For More Great Wisconsin Sports Content
Follow me on Twitter (X) @glennkaplan13 and follow us @WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on all things Wisconsin sports, click here
