Life after Jimmy Butler had begun pretty bleakly for the Miami Heat, who lost their first four matches following the trade of their star man earlier this month, but they stopped the rot with an overtime victory at the Toronto Raptors on Friday and they will be looking to build on that win in Milwaukee.
The Fiserv Forum has been somewhat of a fortress for the Bucks this term, with Doc Rivers’ side winning 18 of their 27 home matches, so things won’t be easy for the Heat in Wisconsin, but there is reason to believe they can keep things close on Sunday evening.
Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks betting picks and predictions
Miami Heat +5.5 (-110)
As the second-longest serving current coach in the NBA, only behind the great Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra has overseen plenty of changes during his tenure in Miami, so the Butler trade will not phase him one bit.
Spoelstra knows exactly what is required to rebuild a team and bring other key players to the fore when necessary and it was only a matter of time before the Heat got back on track in the post-Butler era.
An overtime win over the struggling Raptors is nothing to shout about in isolation but the bottom line is it was a win, and one which will have boosted the mood in the Miami camp ahead of this trip to Milwaukee.
The Heat looked the most settled they had in a long while in Toronto, with star men Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo both enjoying big games, and while a win could be a step too far at the Fiserv Forum, a hefty line means they are worth backing against the spread.
Miami were routed 125-96 on their last visit to Milwaukee, but they were missing a number of key men that day and they should give a better account of themselves this time.
The Heat have covered a +5.5 line in three of their last five road games and for all the offensive power, the Bucks rarely blow teams away, failing to cover a -5.5 spread in seven of their last 10 matches.
Bam Adebayo over 17.5 points (-115)
With Butler gone, it is down to Herro and especially Adebayo to step up on the offensive front, something the latter has certainly begun to do.
The Heat forward racked up 19 points in Toronto on Friday and that performance extended his run of games with a tally of at least 18 points to nine, suggesting he could have a big say on matters at the Fiserv Forum.
Milwaukee star man Giannis Antetokounmpo is likely to play but he was originally listed as a doubt as he has been struggling with a calf strain, hinting that he may not be at his dynamic best, which would leave the door open for Adebayo to rack up the points on Sunday.
Adebayo has scored at least 18 points in six of his last 10 matches against the Bucks and can reach that tally again this time.
He has also registered a double double in each of his last three matches, and it could be worth including that -180 selection in a same-game parley with over 17.5 points for a nice-priced double.
Andrew Wiggins over 1.5 steals & blocks (-125)
Acquired in the trade which sent Butler to the Golden State Warriors, Andrew Wiggins had enjoyed a mixed start with the Heat but really burst into life in Toronto, where he put up 25 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
However, while his attacking talent took a while to shine through for Miami, he had still been useful on the defensive side of things, registering one steal and one block in each of his first two Heat appearances before notching two of the former in the win over the Raptors.
With Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard and Kyle Kuzma all set to be available, the hosts have plenty of attacking talent and Spoelstra will need his key defenders to limit the Bucks.
Both Antetokounmpo (3.5) and Lillard (3.0) rank in the top 15 for turnovers per game in the NBA, though, and Wiggins could get plenty of opportunities to steal possession and block shots at the Fiserv Forum.
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Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks odds
Miami Heat | +175 ML |
Milwaukee Bucks | -210 ML |
Spread | MIL Bucks -5.5 |
Total Points | O/U 221.5 |
Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks player props
Player Points
Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL Bucks) | O/U 24.5 |
Damian Lillard (MIL Bucks) | O/U 24.5 |
Tyler Herro (MIA Heat) | O/U 23.5 |
Bam Adebayo (MIA Heat) | O/U 17.5 |
Andrew Wiggins (MIA Heat) | O/U 16.5 |
Kyle Kuzma (MIL Bucks) | O/U 15.5 |
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
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