NBA picks: Bucks vs. Cavaliers prediction, odds, over/under, spread, injury report for Wednesday, Jan. 17

In a wild turn of events, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been ruled out for Wednesday’s contest. The Cavaliers are now 1-point favorites and the total is 234. Antetokoumpo is averaging 31.2 points per game, so this is obviously a big blow for Milwaukee. However, I’ll still take the Bucks without Giannis at +1. I will take the under on the total now, after previously backing the over.

We’ve got a Central division clash in the NBA Wednesday as the Milwaukee Bucks (28-12) face off against the Cleveland Cavaliers (23-15). Both teams are on winning runs at the moment, with the Bucks logging three straight wins and the Cavaliers rattling off five straight victories. This is the second meeting between the sides this year, with Milwaukee winning the first encounter 119-111.

Milwaukee has no major day-to-day injuries of note, with Jae Crowder now being cleared to return to play. The Cavaliers are still without Darius Garland and Evan Mobley, while Caris LeVert is listed as questionable.

The Bucks are 4-point favorites according to DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total sitting at 236.5. Milwaukee is -170 on the moneyline while Cleveland is +142.

Bucks vs. Cavaliers, 7:30 p.m. ET

Pick ATS: Bucks -4

It has been a successful home stand for the Cavaliers, including on neutral site game against the Nets. Cleveland will wrap up this home stand tonight against its best opponent in a while. The Cavaliers are 10-3 since Garland and Mobley went down, although they recently beat up on the Wizards, Spurs, Nets and Bulls.

The Bucks have failed to cover the spread in seven of their last eight contests, and they’ve been a .500 team straight up during that span. This three-game winning streak appears to be setting things in the right direction, and I expect Milwaukee to take care of a Cavaliers team that has done well without two starters but doesn’t quite have the talent to match up here.

Over/Under: Over 236.5

The Bucks are one of the more over-friendly teams in the league, going over their totals in three of the last four games and 25-15 on the season. The Cavaliers have gone 6-6-1 to the over since Garland and Mobley were both out, averaging 118.1 points per game during that stretch. I like these teams to keep their scoring up and push this game over the total.