The Milwaukee Bucks are getting set to kick off a six-game road trek starting Friday night when they take on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
While it’s been a bumpy start to the 2020-21 season for the Bucks, they kick off their road trip with a 13-8 record after picking up some dominant victories over the Portland Trail Blazers and most recently, a 130-110 win over the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night.
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Having already gotten the better of Cleveland earlier this season with a 100-90 victory last month, the Bucks will be the latest challenger in a grueling stretch for Cleveland that kicked off with a 121-99 defeat to the L.A. Clippers.
So without further ado, let’s take a look the three keys to, starting with the turnover battle.
First key when meeting against the Cleveland Cavaliers – Milwaukee Bucks win the turnover battle
It’s not been that often when the Bucks have won the turnover battle so far this season. Through 21 games, they’ve won the turnover battle just nine times, though they have gone 6-3 when doing so.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have often found success when they’ve controlled the rock better than their opponents. In their 22 games so far, they’ve won the turnover battle 11 times, including in six of their ten wins on the season.
The Cavs being somewhat dependent on winning the turnover battle to win games should come as no surprise. They’ve had to rely on good defense as they’re currently eighth in defensive efficiency and they’ve made a point to playing a very slow and diligent pace at 97.9 possessions per game, the third-slowest pace in the NBA. Furthermore, they have the second-best opponent turnover ratio as they’ll look to disrupt their opponents in passing lanes and within the paint.
Limiting the sloppy turnovers that we’ve seen plague this Bucks team in some of their losses will be a major factor in deciding the games this weekend. With possessions potentially being harder to come by, playing as efficiently and making smart decisions with the ball will be a major determining factor in the outcome.