On Saturday, the 1-4 Milwaukee Bucks will look to end their four-game losing streak against the hottest team in the Eastern Conference, the 6-0 Cleveland Cavaliers, in the first of two home-and-home matchups.

Milwaukee does at least have a significant rest advantage, however. Cleveland is fresh off a 120-109 victory over a Paolo Banchero-less Orlando Magic squad Friday night. The Bucks have been off since Thursday.

The action tips off at 5 p.m. CT in Fiserve Forum, and can be viewed on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin for Milwaukee fans, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio for Cavaliers fans, and NBA League Pass or Fubo TV everywhere else.

According to betting aggregator The Action Network, the Bucks are slight favorites, by -2 points, to hand Cleveland its first loss of the season on Friday. Part of that, surely, is thanks to the aforementioned rest edge that Milwaukee currently enjoys.

Yours truly is less bullish on the Bucks. The Cavaliers — like so many NBA teams so far this year — boast the exact attribute best designed to exploit Milwaukee’s most glaring weakness: strong guard play. All-Star Darius Garland has been on a total redemption tour this year, after a facial injury sidelined him for much of 2023-24.

The Vanderbilt product is averaging 19.0 points on .506/.429/1.000 shooting splits, 5.7 assists and 1.8 rebounds a night. Five-time All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, meanwhile, is averaging 23.5 points on a .514/.383/.750 slash line, 4.3 assists and 2.7 boards a game.

Current Bucks starting guards Damian Lillard and Gary Trent Jr. are allergic to playing defense. Something’s got to give. Look for the Cavaliers to eke out a narrow win, 110-104.

The Action Network reveals that the Bucks are one of the best defensive rebounding teams in the league. Their 37.0 boards a night ranks them third across the NBA. Cleveland, meanwhile, averaged the 10th-worst offensive rebounds in the league this year (15.5) — meaning that, should Doc Rivers want to game plan a little, it might behoove All-NBA power forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and former All-Defensive center Brook Lopez to crash the grass and prevent second-chance opportunities for Cleveland’s powerhouse frontcourt of center Jarrett Allen and power forward Evan Mobley.

These in-season mini-series between conference rivals can be incredibly illuminating. It will be fascinating to see the adjustments both Rivers and Kenny Atkinson’s respective coaching staffs making between Saturday and Monday.

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