Two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference will square off Saturday night as the Miami Heat (29-24) take on the Milwaukee Bucks (35-17). The Bucks will host this one at the Fiserv Forum, with tipoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.
Miami comes into this one off of a loss as they dropped their last game 106-104 to the Knicks in their last game. In the loss, Bam Adebayo led the team with 32 points, while Tyler Herro added 25.
For the Bucks, they have won six games in a row including a 106-105 home win over the Clippers Thursday. Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 54 points with 19 rebounds in the win. Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday also combined for 28 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.
The Bucks are the favorite in this one playing at home. They are -220 to win, while the Heat’s moneyline sits at +184. The spread features Miami as 5-point underdogs (-108), and the over/under for total points is 220.5 (-110).
Heat Look To Improve In Conference Play
At 29-24, the Miami Heat sit sixth in the Eastern Conference, 8.5 games out of first place. One of their biggest issues, though, has been their play against Eastern teams. To date, they are just 13-15 against their own conference.
Offensively, Miami continues to struggle to put up a lot of points. In fact, they rank last in scoring, averaging just 108.4 points per game. On the flip side, they rank second in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 108.1 points per game.
The Heat’s offense is led by a trio of players averaging at least 20 points. Forward Jimmy Butler is averaging a team-leading 21.7 points per game on 51.8% shooting. He is also averaging 5.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game.
Aside from Butler, both Bam Adebayo (21.6 points, 10 rebounds, 3.1 assists) and Tyler Herro (20.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists) are also major contributors for Miami.
Bucks Look To Keep Rolling
Having won eight of their last 10 games and six in a row, the Bucks look to stay hot Saturday as they host the Heat. They also have played well at the Fiserv Forum as they currently have a 22-5 record (best in the East) when playing at home.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, the “Greek Freak”, continues to put up MVP-caliber numbers every night. In 41 games this season, he is averaging 32.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per night.
Despite his production, the Bucks rank just 18th in scoring, averaging 114.1 points per game (118.3 at home). Aside from Antetokounmpo, other contributors include Jrue Holiday (19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists) and Khris Middleton (12 points, 3 rebounds, 3.9 assists).
Defensively, the Bucks are also outstanding as they rank fifth in scoring defense, allowing opponents just 111.8 points per game.
Take Milwaukee To Win And Cover
In their last seven games, the Heat are 4-3, but they are just 2-5 against the spread in that time. While their defense is outstanding, their offense just continues to be a liability.
With a defense like Milwaukee on the other side, that could be bad news for the Heat. The Bucks’ offense has also not been elite, but like in their last game, Antetokounmpo has the ability to single-handedly take over a game. That is part of the reason they are undefeated in their last six games and undefeated in their last five home games versus Miami.
Take the Bucks to both win this one and to cover the 5-point spread (-112).
