The Milwaukee Bucks have stumbled of late, with two losses in their last three games. Dating back to the pre-COVID-19 pandemic suspension, they have gone 1-5 straight-up in their last six games. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat will look to get their first back-to-back set of wins since March. Check out our preview of this game below.
The Heat didn’t need the help of their Butler to take down the Boston Celtics last Tuesday, 112-106. Jimmy Butler that is. Miami’s star forward missed the Celtics game due to a right ankle soreness, but other Heat players were able to step up and cover the void that the swingman left. Duncan Robinson played big, scoring 21 points with five 3-pointers, Kelly Olynyk moved into the starting lineup and dropped 15 points with eight assists in 32 minutes of action. Butler’s injury doesn’t seem to be anything serious and the Heat probably just want to manage his load ahead of the playoffs. With some rest, Butler could be back as soon as this coming Thursday’s game against the Bucks, whom Miami has already defeated twice this season. The Heat shot well from deep in their 105-86 home win over Milwaukee last March, going 18 for 37 on their long-range attempts.
The Heat are 3-2 against the spread in their last five games.
Maybe the Bucks are no longer trying. Despite being a 19-point favorite, the Bucks still lost to the undermanned Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, 110-116. Milwaukee’s loss to the Nets came after it absorbed a 120-116 defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets, a game wherein the Bucks looked more interested in winning. Against the Nets, head coach Mike Budenholzer opted to rest his star duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton for the final two quarters and instead leaned on a long rotation that went 13-man deep. Perhaps the Bucks simply wanted their stars to rest and will give Antetokoumpo’s and Middleton’s usual minutes in the game against the Heat. The Bucks are still tops in the league in scoring with 118.6 points per game, though, they have only put up 107.5 points in the last two games against Miami.
