Milwaukee Bucks to play Cleveland Cavaliers on ESPN in home opener

The Milwaukee Bucks will face the Cleveland Cavaliers live on ESPN in their home opener for the 2017-18 season.

Although the wait for the unveiling of the entire 2017-18 schedule will have to continue, at least for a little while longer, the NBA released details of a handful games on Thursday evening. One of those games included the Milwaukee Bucks.

Far from the days of national TV droughts, the Bucks will square off with the reigning Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers live on ESPN on Friday, October 20 at 6pm Central.

Not only does that give the Bucks marquee placement as soon as the first Friday of the season, but according to an accompanying release on Bucks.com, it’ll also be the team’s home opener.

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With the new season tipping off on Tuesday, October 17, it seems the Bucks will be starting the season on the road and will have played at least one game before hosting the Cavs in front of the ESPN cameras.

With the Bucks rising fast in the East, and Giannis Antetokounmpo already having reached superstar level, Milwaukee/Cleveland is suddenly a matchup with a wide and obvious appeal for the NBA.

Not only do the games between the two teams give fans a chance to see how one of the East’s ascendant forces measures up against the current top dog, but it also provides the tantalizing matchup of Antetokounmpo and James.

Last season, the Cavaliers took the season series between the teams by 3-1, with Milwaukee’s biggest margin of victory being 17 points, and Cleveland’s coming in at 11 points.

It was the first meeting between the teams when the Bucks came out on top last year, as a monster showing of 34 points, 12 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and two rebounds from Antetokounmpo guided Milwaukee to a signature win.

The other nationally televised games announced as a part of the NBA’s Kia Tip-Off can be found in the tweet below:

The NBA also revealed the schedule for the traditional Christmas Day games, which for Bucks fans eager to watch their team as a part of that festive extravaganza of basketball will have resulted in some disappointment.

The full Christmas Day schedule can be found in the tweet below.

Next: Milwaukee Bucks unveil Nike uniforms, Harley-Davidson sponsor’s patch

It shouldn’t be long now until the Bucks’ full schedule is available, and when that time comes, we’ll break it all down for you here.