NBA: Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks Preview, Odds, Prediction

The Milwaukee Bucks host the Miami Heat in one of the most interesting NBA games this Saturday night. Both sides need to win, Bucks in order to keep their chances of reaching the second spot in the East, and the Heat due to their pretty tough position at the moment. Erik Spoelstra’s guys are currently fifth, half a game behind the Atlanta Hawks, while on the other side, the New York Knicks have the same record as their division rivals from Florida. We need to mention that both teams play really well in the past two weeks, posting wins and significantly improving their overall form.

Preview

Miami Heat (39-31, +100) have just one win in the past nine games, and are 12-3 in the previous 15 contests. Spoelstra’s crew is red-hot in recent days, with four consecutive victories, beating the Timberwolves at home, then Boston on the road, twice in three days, and eventually the 76ers this Thursday night.

The game against Philly had high stakes, as guests from the City of Brotherhood Love chased the No.1 seed. Yet, the Heat defeated them without too many problems, 106-94.

Jimmy Butler had 21 points, Adebayo added 18 with 12 boards and 8 assists, while Tyler Herro scored the same number of buckets only off the bench. Goran Dragic scored 15 points as well. Hosts had a very good shooting percentage, shooting 50.6% from the field. They would also outrebound the guests, 47-30.

Milwaukee Bucks (45-25, -118) have one defeat in seven clashes, riding a two-game winning streak while entering this event. The first was against the Orlando Magic at home, 114-102, and the latest vs. the Pacers on the road, 142-133.

Giannis dropped 40 points in a high-octane game, missing just 4 of his 18 shots, adding 15 rebounds and six assists. Though the Pacers were shorthanded, and they didn’t present any particular issue for the steaming guests who had three more players with 20+ points. Khris Middleton dropped 22, Brook Lopez had 21, and Jrue Holiday scored 20 with 14 assists, however, not making a single three-pointer, which is a bit interesting.

The Bucks shot 57.4% from the field, and had 51 boards, compared to 40 of the hosts. Mike Budenholzer’s team was very dominant in the paint with 78 points, 28 more than their rivals. Also, one fascinating thing was that Milwaukee’s players recorded just 10 fouls throughout the entire game.

Head to Head Games

Milwaukee humiliated Miami in the first game of the season, which took place on December 29 in Florida, 144-97. The Bucks set a new NBA record for three-pointers in one match, with 29 hits in 51 attempts. Middleton had 25 buckets, Holiday one fewer. Giannis ended with just nine. The Heat played without several players, and Tyler Herro led the way with 23 points. Kendrick Nunn had 15 off the bench.

Prediction

The line for the total number of points is 231.5, and since this is a game with high stakes, we are predicting to see a bit tougher defenses. That will undoubtedly decrease the efficiency, which is why our prediction is under the proposed line. The ultimate reason for picking Under here is Heat’s ability to slow the tempo and the pace in important matches. And tonight’s is one of the most important of the year for them.

Pick: Under 231.5