Cavs vs. Bucks preview and gamethread

The Cavaliers take on the Bucks who went undefeated during the NBA Cup Tournament

Milwaukee will look to show they found something in the NBA Cup as they try to go toe-to-toe with the best team in the East.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (23-4) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (14-11)

Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse - Cleveland, Ohio

When: 7:30 p.m., Friday Dec. 20

TV: NBA TV, Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass

Line: Cavs -7.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Max Strus - QUESTIONABLE (ankle), Isaac Okoro - OUT (ankle), Emoni Bates - OUT (G League), JT Thor - OUT (G League), Luke Travers - OUT (G League)

Expected Bucks starting lineup: AJ Green, Andre Jackson, Taureen Prince, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brook Lopez

Bucks injury report: Damian Lillard - OUT (calf), Khris Middleton - PROBABLE (illness), Giannis Antetokounmpo - PROBABLE (knee), Chris Livingston - OUT (G League), Tyler Smith - OUT (G League), AJ Johnson - OUT (G League)

What to watch for

Have the Bucks fixed their problems?

Don’t look now but the Bucks are white-knuckling their way back to Eastern Conference contention. After starting the season 1-6, the Bucks are not only putting wins together but are the 2024 NBA Cup Champions. What does this mean not only for the Bucks but also for the Cavaliers who are looking to compete for the Eastern Conference championship?

In terms of the Bucks, it might not do much besides boost their team morale. Last season the Lakers claimed the inaugural NBA Cup title. The Lakers, like the Bucks, were looking for answers and seemed to find it with a successful seven-game stretch. However, it appeared their success stayed in Vegas as they were the seventh seed in the West and lost in the first round to the Nuggets. NBA Cup success thus far (with an extremely small sample size) hasn’t proven to translate to the postseason or even serve as a meaningful turning point for the teams involved.

The Bucks entering the NBA Cup had some of the worst team vibes in the league. Lots of questions about chemistry, team fit, and belief in coaching emerged and were rampant. Did they truly find some answers? I mean they got NBA superstar performances out of Giannis and Damian Lillard who appear to be showing their ability to work cohesively. What the Bucks didn’t find is ancillary answers.

Giannis and Lillard put the team on their back throughout the tournament, especially in the final two contests. Against the Hawks, the remaining starters scored 27 points compared to the 57 combined between Giannis and Lillard. Similarly against the Thunder the star duo combined for 49 while the remaining lineup put up 21 combined points. The Bucks are older and will struggle defensively to match up with the taller wings in the league. The main takeaway for them that will translate to the postseason is that as long as Giannis and Dame are healthy and on the floor the Bucks have a chance with whichever team is across from them.

The Bucks being without Lillard on Friday will undoubtedly hurt their chances in this matchup.

Evan Mobley vs Giannis

We are in the midst of a serious jump for Evan Mobley. He’s shown an ability to take over games and overwhelm opposing defenses on a nightly basis. One challenge that we haven’t seen Mobley improve on is facing Giannis. In his career, Mobley averages a meanile 12.8 points on 42.6% shooting with 6.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game when facing off against the Greek Freak.

While defending Giannis on its own is a hurdle for any player in the league, it feels like Mobley has always had the tools to go against arguably the league’s best player. Mobley offensively has shown great growth this season but even in their latest duel on Nov. 2, Mobley appeared to have stagnated in comparison to his total body of work. He posted an admirable 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists but you want to see a mentality shift in Mobley this time. The best players in the league look to rise to the challenge when facing off against someone who is at the top of their game. Mobley has shown an ability to do that but to continue his leap into stardom you need to beat the best at their own game.

Max Strus complications

Max Strus hasn’t suited up for the Cavaliers this season due to injury and things have appeared to go as smoothly as one could imagine. They have been using a rotating cast of players in his stead. Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, and Georges Niang have been the common names starting at the three. Now with a return of Strus on the horizon, how do the Cavaliers reallocate minutes as the addition of Strus means a subtraction from others?

With Okoro currently dealing with a shoulder injury that should help alleviate the issue in the short term but the Cavaliers are going to face the issue of having too much depth. A great problem to have and Kenny Atkinson has shown a willingness to switch up rotations as the situation arises. The Cavaliers are excited for a Strus return, but there will be players whose minutes see drastic changes once the team returns to full health.