The Cleveland Cavaliers have won seven of their last eight games and can clinch the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a victory tonight over the Milwaukee Bucks, who have won two of their last three games.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (50-27)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.9 ppg, 5.1 apg
G J.R. Smith – 13.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.3 apg
F Kevin Love – 16.4 ppg, 10.0 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 10.6 ppg, 7.0 rpg
Milwaukee Bucks (38-39)
G Michael Carter-Williams –12.8 ppg, 5.5 apg
G Khris Middleton – 13.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg
F Giannis Antetokounmpo – 12.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
F Ersan Ilyasova – 11.4 ppg, 4.9 rpg
C Zaza Pachulia – 8.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg
What to watch for:
Can Milwaukee score enough to keep up with Cleveland?
The Bucks actually held a sizable halftime lead against the Cavs in their previous matchup on March 22, but their offense became stagnant and they couldn't score in the second half. Milwaukee lost by 18 as a result, and with Cleveland having the extra motivation of clinching the two seed, they won't wait until halftime to turn up the intensity. Someone is going to have to put up huge numbers offensively for the Bucks if they're going to win.
Prediction: Cavs win 108-89
Cleveland is on a mission to clinch the two seed, and I think they'll come out looking to blow out the Bucks right from the start.
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