Can Cleveland end their black streak in Milwaukee?

There are a handsome six games in the NBA this coming night. Among other things, the classic in the East between Boston and New York is appealing. For the Knicks, three of the last four guest games in the TD Garden ended with a defeat. The clash between the Bucks and Cavaliers also promises to be exciting.

Cleveland have been waiting for their next win at the champions for more than four years, but their chances are better than they have been in a long time, as Milwaukee will probably have to do without the “Greek Freak”.

Brooklyn Nets vs. Orlando Magic – 19 December, 01:30 am

The Nets rank in the top ten in both offensive and defensive rating in the NBA. It’s a combination that quickly makes it clear that the title favourite has lived up to the high expectations so far. Most recently, however, the Brooklyn team appeared in decimated form due to numerous quarantine measures.

However, they still have Kevin Durant at hand and the NBA’s best shooter, averaging just under 30 points per game, can at least make up for the absences somewhat, which is why the Nets are racking up wins even with a short squad.

The team from Florida can only smile tiredly about the personnel problems of the hosts, because even without quarantine measures, they have been in a permanently tense personnel situation since the start of the season. The reason are several long-term injuries and the absences have led to the fact that the guests only arrive as the penultimate team in the East.

Currently, Anthony Cole is also missing, the point guard scores just under 20 points per game and was recently the top scorer. For the duel at the Barclays Center between the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic on 19.12.2021, the tip is therefore aiming for a home win.

Even with a B-team, in which Kevin Durant has to miss out at short notice due to an ankle injury, the home side should have the edge against the underdogs.

Toronto Raptors vs. Golden State Warriors – Dec 19, 01:30am

The Raptors finally get to play at home again this season at Scotiabank Arena, but so far the home court advantage hasn’t really paid off. Only 40 per cent of their home games have been successful.

The shortcoming of a less pronounced home strength has been overcome recently, however: Four of the only six home victories this season were achieved on home soil in the last five games and, among others, the champions from Milwaukee were defeated.

But Golden State is a tough opponent: The Warriors have won ten of their 13 games so far and are in first place in the Western Conference. Even without Klay Thompson, who is still injured, coach Steve Kerr’s team is very dominant and looks like a hot title contender.

For the clash between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors, however, bets on a home win with at least an eight-point difference are worth considering, because “chef” Stephen Curry will not start this time, but will get a breather. As a result, the visitors’ offensive line-up is much weaker than usual.

Curry, who has recently become the best three-point shooter in NBA history, is averaging just under 27 points – the fourth-best record in the league.

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers – Dec 19, 02:00

Oklahoma has won only about 30 percent of its games so far and in the usual strong West, that yield is only good enough for last place. In the East, they would at least be third last… The home side also have the weakest offensive rating in the NBA with 100.1 points.

Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stands out positively from OKC’s inefficient offence. The 23-year-old delivers almost 22 points per game and has improved even more in December: In the current month, he is even scoring around 26 points per game.

The visitors, for their part, rank fifth in the Western Conference and have earned this position primarily through a strong defence. The Californians allow only 105.3 points per 100 opponent possessions.

For the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Clippers, however, the odds on more than 22.5 points by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are of interest, since the Canadian, as described, has recently improved his scoring once again.

Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks – Dec 19, 02:30am

The Celtics will be hoping the Knicks quarantine situation hasn’t improved by tip-off at TD Garden. Recently, several players dropped out due to a positive test result. Due to the tight personnel situation, the guests have only one win from the past five games.

The home side will also be counting on the home bonus: Seven of the last ten games in front of their own crowd ended with a win and they were able to beat the Lakers or the champions from Milwaukee, among others. For the game between the Boston Celtics and the New York Knicks, betting on a home win is therefore worth considering.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – December 19, 03:00

The champions from Milwaukee beat the Pacers last. So far, this wouldn’t be anything special, but the win came without Giannis Antetokounmpo, which does make it more noteworthy than normal. Like so many players in the NBA, the “Greek Freak” is currently in pandemic protocol and therefore cannot play.

Instead, however, Portis, Connaughton and Holiday have recently taken on the increased workload, each scoring at least 20 points. The Cavs are a tougher opponent now, however, as Cleveland travels with its five-game winning streak intact.

In contrast, the basketball players from Ohio have a sobering record from the past duels: they have not won against the champions in eight attempts! The last away win for the visitors was also a long time ago: It dates back to October 2017 and since then they have suffered seven defeats at the Fiserv Forum.

For the latest showdown between the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers, however, the betting odds on an away win can be placed at value.

The home side is not only weakened due to the absence of Antetokounmpo, but is also missing several other injured regulars such as Lopez or DiVincenzo, and the Cavs arrive in a stable condition. In addition, they have a game from last night in their legs.

The duel at New Orleans was won away from home, but only after overtime and therefore took a lot of energy, while the visitors had a game off.

Utah Jazz vs. Washington Wizards – Dec 19, 03:00

Utah is coming off a strong season so far, just like last year. Equipped with the best offense in the NBA, they rank third in the Western Conference. Only the last of the last nine games was lost. The situation is more precarious for the Wizards: Only two victories have been achieved in the past ten games.

In addition, they only managed to beat the last-place team in the East, Detroit, and the Timberwolves from Minnesota, who are at home in the lower midfield in the West. The Capitals are thus in a persistent form crisis and Coach Unseld Jr. has obviously not found any answers from this yet.

For the clash between the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards, however, the forecast includes less than 116.5 points by the home side. This is supported by the fact that the hosts are playing a back-to-back and their leading scorer Donovan Mitchell was not feeling well towards the end of last night’s loss to San Antonio, so his appearance against the Wizards is in danger.