Look, I know Cleveland Cavaliers tickets are likely very affordable. In fact, just a few games from now, the Boston Celtics come to town and ESPN lists that there are tickets as low as $6 available. That’s surprising given the Celtics can drive up ticket prices. But this Milwaukee Bucks game takes the cake. Yes, they are seeing tickets available for as low as 4 FREAKING DOLLARS. I think that sums up how most people probably feel about this game. Also - do the Cavaliers have the most old Bucks ties in the league? Between John Henson, Larry Drew, Brandon Knight and Matthew Dellavedova, they’ve gotta be up there.
Bucks Update
Anyone else watch that rockfest between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Bucks last night? Eric Bledsoe kinda just meandered around and somehow found his way to the vicinity of a near triple-double game. Khris Middleton put up a Giannis-like, 30-point, 10-rebound, 5-assist performance in the Freak’s absence. Brook Lopez was riding Splash Mountain like it was going out of business, yet this was still probably the highlight of the whole night. That tells you all you need to know.
Have no fear, Brook Lopez is here!! #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/WJyaw8h0Rw
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) March 20, 2019
Milwaukee’s last matchup with Cleveland was way back in December, when Giannis tied his then career-high in points with 44. That 114-102 victory came while Kevin Love was still shelved. I haven’t seen the injury report, so I have no idea who may be out. I’ll update when I see something credible.
Injury Update
Yikes, sorry folks. Looks like this injury list is as extensive as the Lakers game. At least Giannis is questionable, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes given the recent news that Nikola Mirotics will be out for the foreseeable future. RIP to my player to watch prediction.
Bucks with an extensive injury report today.
— Matt Velazquez (@Matt_Velazquez) March 20, 2019
Giannis (right ankle sprain) - QUESTIONABLE
Brogdon (right foot) - OUT
Brown (right wrist) - OUT
DiVincenzo (right heel) - OUT
Gasol (left ankle soreness) - OUT
Hill (sore left groin) - OUT
Ilyasova (illness) - PROBABLE
And this https://t.co/gWH36bRuDU
Player to Watch: Nikola Mirotic
If Kevin Love is able to give it a go tonight, him and Mirotic dueling as stretch power forwards could be an interesting battle of sharpshooters. Mirotic found his stroke again going 3-7 against the Lakers, but did bang up his hand while swinging upward on Mo Wagner. Let’s hope he’s okay to go against the Cavs.
Cavaliers Update
The tanking Cavaliers have put a strong amount of distance between themselves and the New York Knicks, and not in a good way. They’re currently in the third spot in the lottery, and while the odds at the first pick have smoothed across the bottom three teams, that still means there’s a lower floor for their potential pick should teams below them move up. Regardless, they’ve still lost five of their last eight, with the surprising win coming in a rout against the Toronto Raptors. They’re coming off a victory against the Pistons where Blake Griffin rested as well. They have a bounty of guys who look like they might be game time decisions, so I’ll update the preview when we hear something more definitive. Delly is listed as out for tonight while Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. are both questionable.
Player to Watch: Collin Sexton
The Young Bull certainly seemed like his rookie season was off to a rocky start. I wasn’t a huge fan of him coming into the draft, he seemed like a combination of an iffy jump shot and no real elite skills wouldn’t translate into a super productive player at this level. To my surprise, he has been able to shoot 41.2% from deep on 3.2 attempts per game, but he still has just a 46.7% effective field goal percentage. Nearly a quarter of his shots are long midrange jumpers, and he’s shooting just 37.3% on those. Hoist ‘em up Sexton, the Bucks will let you do that all day. He’s put together six consecutive games where he’s led the Cavaliers in scoring.
Poll
Game 72: Against the Cavaliers the Bucks will
This poll is closed
-
56%
Win big (by 10 or more points)
-
30%
Win close (by 9 or fewer points)
-
9%
Lose close (by 9 or fewer points)
-
4%
Lose big (by 10 or more points)