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

The Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks clash at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night, in a game that could significantly impact the Eastern Conference standings. The two sides are battling for the top seed, and are in a longer perspective, two of the biggest favorites for winning the East. We have to say that a certain rivalry between these teams developed over the past two years, especially after the last year’s sweep in the playoffs when Milwaukee trashed the Heat in four games.

Preview

Miami Heat (41-21, +190) have four wins in a row, and overall, just one defeat in the previous 10 games. It was against the Dallas Mavs at home, but that failure was quickly forgotten. The Heat would defeat the Hornets, the Knicks, the Spurs and the Chicago Bulls in their latest contest.

Beating the Bulls, who were just behind them in the standings, was a big deal for Erik Spoelstra’s crew, as they now sit alone atop of the East, with a slight advantage over all the other rivals. Winning in Milwaukee would cement that position.

The final result of the clash vs. Bulls was 112-99, and we once again saw Miami’s ferocious defense doing its thing. It limited the Bulls to seven threes in 29 tries, halting them to only 38 boards and allowing DeRozan to have just 18 points. Meanwhile, Herro and Gabe Vincent had 20 each among the Heat, Butler and Adebayo 15.

Milwaukee Bucks (37-25, -250) won after losing back-to-back games. They were better than the Hornets, 130-106, and we have to say that this big victory came at the best possible moment. The Bucks lost four of the previous five, and the fans were already started worrying.

Two defeats at home, to the direct rivals for the East and the NBA title, the Nets and the 76ers, have undermined the champs’ morale, which is why a strong response was needed.

Three players had 20 or more points, Giannis, Holiday, and Portis, with the note that Khris Middleton added 19. Giannis scored 26 having 16 boards and six assists with four blocks. Holiday had 21, eight assists, and six boards, while Portis scored 20 with 10 rebounds. The Bucks allowed Hornets to make only 38.7% of the shots from the field and limited them to 41 rebounds, 21 fewer than they had.

Head to Head Games

This is the fourth meeting between these teams in the 2021/22 season. Miami was better in the opening game of the year, once they humiliated the Bucks, 137-95. The champs responded in the next meeting at Fiserv, 124-102, but after that, the Heat once again beat Giannis and the boys in Florida, 113-104.

Prediction

Both teams enter this clash with an ambition to win, and unlike the previous ones, we believe that the defense will play a vital role here. Milwaukee has to redeem for all the losses in recent time, while on the other hand, the Heat wins games on the defensive end. The line for the total number of points is at 221 points, and for us, that is clear under. It is possible that one side won’t reach 100 points.

Pick: Under

 

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