Cavaliers vs. Bucks Prediction, Odds and Best NBA Prop Bets for Tuesday, March 17

Can the Cleveland Cavaliers bounce back from a bad loss against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday?

Cleveland lost some ground in the Eastern Conference with the shocking loss (as a 14.5-point favorite), but it’s a road favorite on Tuesday against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Bucks snapped a four-game skid against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday, but Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a knee injury and did not return. He’s listed as questionable for Tuesday’s matchup.

Barring a huge finish to the regular season, Milwaukee is going to miss the play-in tournament in the East, and it may opt to shut Giannis down at some point in the coming weeks.

The Cavs, on the other hand, are hoping to make a run at the No. 2 seed over the final month, though they’re currently four games back of the Boston Celtics.

Can Cleveland cover in a favorable division spot on Tuesday night? Let’s check out the odds and a player prop – as well as my prediction – for this Eastern Conference battle.

Cavaliers vs. Bucks Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Cavs -10.5 (-108)
Bucks +10.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Cavs: -470
Bucks: +360

Total

229.5 (Over -105/Under -115)

Cavaliers vs. Bucks How to Watch

Date: Tuesday, March 17
Time: 8:00 p.m. EST
Venue: Fiserv Forum
How to Watch (TV): NBC/Peacock
Cavs record: 41-27
Bucks record: 28-39

Cavaliers vs. Bucks Injury Reports

Cavs Injury Report

Jarrett Allen – out
Sam Merrill – questionable
Craig Porter Jr. – out
Jaylon Tyson – probable
Tyrese Proctor – out
Olivier Sarr – out

Bucks Injury Report

Giannis Antetokounmpo – questionable
Alex Antetokounmpo – out
Ousmane Dieng – questionable
Myles Turner – questionable
Cormac Ryan – out

Cavaliers vs. Bucks Best NBA Prop Bets

Bucks Best NBA Prop Bet

Ryan Rollins OVER 15.5 Points (-122)

In today’s best NBA props for SI Betting, I broke down why Rollins could have a big game with Antetokounmpo on the injury report:

Milwaukee Bucks guard Ryan Rollins has picked up the slack this season when Giannis Antetokounmpo is out of the lineup, averaging 19.5 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds in 29 games without the two-time MVP.

Now, Giannis is questionable for tonight’s game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Since Feb. 1, Rollins is averaging 17.8 points per game while shooting 49.0 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from 3, showing he’s one of Milwaukee’s best offensive players.

The former second-round pick has at least 16 points in 11 of his 19 games since the start of February, and he picked up 20 points on Sunday when Giannis went down.

Against Cleveland, Rollins has scored 18, 24 and 14 points in three games. He’s a great bet in this matchup, even if Antetokounmpo is able to take the floor.

Cavaliers vs. Bucks Prediction and Pick

Giannis’ injury is going to dictate a lot in this game, but if he’s able to play I think the Bucks are worth a look at double-digit home underdogs.

Cleveland is just 7-15 against the spread this season as a road favorite, and it’s coming off an awful loss to a tanking Dallas team. The Bucks seemingly want to make the play-in tournament, so I don’t expect them to call off the dogs – especially if Giannis plays – in this matchup.

The loss of Jarrett Allen has been big for the Cavs, as they’re just 2-3 in the last five games that he’s missed.

Cleveland has a better statistical profile than the Bucks, but it has struggled all season long to cover the spread, posting the worst ATS record in the NBA.

I can’t lay 10.5 points with them on the road on Tuesday night.

Pick: Bucks +10.5 (-112 at DraftKings)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey's NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on BetStamp here.

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