Milwaukee @ Cleveland preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 28, 2019 ) Cleveland 112, Milwaukee 129

The Milwaukee Bucks are winners of nine in a row and polished off a four-game homestand with a 111-102 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday as small forward Khris Middleton eased back into the flow. Middleton will try to take a few more steps forward when the Bucks visit the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Middleton sat out seven games with a quad injury and came off the bench in his return on Wednesday, pouring in 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting in 20 minutes. "Kind of vintage Khris," Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer told reporters. "He had a couple good looks - he could have even had a bigger first night with a couple good open looks. But overall, I thought he was really good offensively. He understands how to get people involved, can make reads and decisions. ... It's great to have him back." The Cavaliers are losers of eight of the last nine and dropped the last two after winning the opener of a six-game homestand. Cleveland committed 25 turnovers in a 116-104 loss to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday, leading a frustrated coach John Beilein to tell reporters, "Disappointing, I mean disappointing to spend a Thanksgiving after that performance."

TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FS Ohio (Cleveland)

ABOUT THE BUCKS (15-3): Middleton's return provided another level of support for superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who delivered 30 points on 12-of-23 shooting, 10 rebounds, four assists and four blocks in another strong all-around performance. The reigning NBA MVP pushed his streak to 18 double-doubles to begin the season but went 5-of-13 from the free-throw line and is shooting 58.8 percent from the stripe on the season. Antetokounmpo's lowest-scoring game of the season came against Cleveland on Oct. 28, when he was held to 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting in a 129-112 Milwaukee victory.

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (5-13): Cleveland is undersized in the backcourt with starters Collin Sexton and Darius Garland and struggled against the length of Orlando on Wednesday. "Those are just throwaways," Beilein told reporters. "You had 25 turnovers in a game, you're not going to win. And it's one thing if we are throwing the ball away, but not getting the shot at the basket because of a walk right now, I've got to figure it out because you can’t win with that." Garland (eight) and Sexton (five) combined for 13 turnovers in the loss but also totaled for 36 points.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Bucks PG George Hill (back) sat out the last two games and is day-to-day.

2. Cavaliers PF Larry Nance Jr. recorded a double-double in each of the last three games.

3. Milwaukee took four of the last five in the series, with the lone setback coming at Cleveland in March.

PREDICTION: Bucks 121, Cavaliers 112