The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Milwaukee Bucks will meet for the final time in the regular season this Wednesday. The Cavs have a 2-1 advantage in the series and can win it outright with a victory in this contest. Check out our preview of this meeting below.
Catch this game live on Wednesday, March 18, 2026, at 8:00 AM Manila time
Away: Cleveland Cavaliers (41-27, 19-14 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- James Harden
- Donovan Mitchell
- Keon Ellis
- Dean Wade
- Evan Mobley
Cleveland has been struggling with consistency over their past several games. They have gone 3-3 straight up in their last six outings, alternting wins and losses. Cleveland will want that trend to continue this Wednesday, as the Cavs are coming off a 130-120 home loss on Wednesday at the hands of Cooper Flagg and the Dallas Mavericks.
The absence of Jarrett Allen has certainly made life harder for the Cavaliers, who have not utilized the big man in five consecutive games now due to a knee injury. Allen will be out for the next three Cavaliers games, including this upcoming meeting with Milwaukee. Even without Allen, Cleveland should still be a problem for the Bucks, who are having a much worse campaign.
On the season, the Cavaliers are third in the league with 119.1 points per game and sixth with a +4.2 average scoring margin.
Home: Milwaukee Bucks (28-39, 16-18 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- Kevin Porter Jr.
- Ousmane Dieng (Questionable)
- Kyle Kuzma
- Giannis Antetokounmpo
- Myles Turner (Questionable)
The Bucks snapped a four-game losing skid by beating the Indiana Pacers at home on Monday, 134-123. Outlasting Indiana doesn’t really prove much for Milwaukee, but at least Doc Rivers’ team will come into this showdown against Cleveland with some momentum.
Another piece of good news for the Bucks is the expected return of Kevin Porter Jr. to the lineup after he missed the Pacers game with a knee issue. Porter led the Bucks with 20 points in a 118-116 win against Cleveland at home in February. Meanwhile, Myles Turner and Ousmane Dieng are both questionable with a calf injury and illness, respectively.
As a team, the Bucks are just 28th in the league with 111.2 points per game, but they’re third overall with a 56.5 eFG%.
Picks
Spread: Cleveland Cavaliers (-10,0)
Over/Under: Over (228.5)
