Cavaliers vs. Bucks Betting Preview: Injuries Point Toward Total

Cleveland Cavaliers and Milwaukee Bucks meet on Wednesday, November 16 in Milwaukee. Jacob McKenna explains how to bet the matchup.

Cleveland Cavaliers are on a one-game road trip to Milwaukee. Cleveland started the season off hot, but has since lost four straight games. Milwaukee is in a similar position, having won its first nine games of the year and gone 1-3 since.

Cleveland Cavaliers went 8-1 in the first nine games of the season. They had the sixth-best Offensive Rating in NBA at 114.8. Their Defensive Rating was second behind only the Bucks. Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen have been injured recently. The Cavaliers have allowed 120.7 points per game in their last three games. They are underdogs against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. It is possible they can be exposed without Allen.

Milwaukee Bucks have been a tough defense this season. They won their first nine games of the season and are first in the NBA in Defensive Rating at 105.0. However, they have had a healthy lineup to begin the year, but they've had to deal with injuries recently. Jrue Holiday's absence has been the most significant one.

Cleveland and Milwaukee are playing a high-scoring game. Both teams have poor defenses. Cleveland is allowing their opponents to shoot 44.4% from three in their last three games. Milwaukee is surrendering 56.7 points per game in the paint in its last 3 games, the second most in NBA.