Two top-tier Eastern Conference title contenders will get a chance to sharpen their iron against each other on Saturday, January 21 when the Milwaukee Bucks will take on their interdivisional rival Cleveland Cavaliers.
Both squads have had fairly disappointing starts to the new calendar year thus far, with the Bucks at just 6-4 since the beginning of 2023 after picking up two wins in a row against mid-tier teams in the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors.
In turn, Cleveland is just 5-4 since the New Year, and both teams would like to start creating some true separation between themselves and the rest of the pack in the East.
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Giannis Antetokounmpo has been quietly struggling since the turn of the calendar. While his counting stats are great at 24.6 points per game, 12.6 rebounds, and 6.4 assists since January 1st according to statmuse, a deeper dive into his efficiency will show an abnormal cold stretch for the Greek Freak.
In 2023, he’s shooting a paltry 45.8 percent from the field and under 19 percent marks from beyond the arc. Coming from an athletic marvel who routinely abuses opponents in the paint, this level of efficiency leaves much to be desired from the former MVP.
The Cavs are similarly lacking success despite a promising level of talent on their roster. While neither team should be panicking about their records, it’s clear that they haven’t quite reached the point of dominance that they expected entering the season.
For the Cavs, they recently had orchestrative savant Ricky Rubio return to the lineup and sharpshooter Dean Wade’s arrival appears to also be on the horizon. There’s hope in the fact that Cleveland has played their way to a 28-18 record despite missing key players to begin the season and haven’t yet seen their squad at full strength.
This January 21st matchup will be a true litmus test for the top teams in the Eastern Conference. Will it be Giannis who will turn it around and lead his Bucks back to their usually dominant ways?Or will Cleveland start clicking for the second half of the season en route to a strong postseason run?
The Cavs have possibly the best possible personnel to counter Antetokounmpo’s strong, springy, and lengthy gaits to the rim, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Freak overcome those odds anyways and put up an MVP-level performance that the world has grown accustomed to seeing from him.
Good morning. pic.twitter.com/ySHra3RtRl
— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) January 21, 2023
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| Title: Milwaukee Bucks vs Cleveland Cavaliers betting preview
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: Jan 20, 2023
