Bucks vs. Heat prediction and odds for Saturday, January 14th
By Josh Yourish
We’re running it back. I’m a big fan of the NBA scheduling where we basically have little two-game series. The Miami Heat took down the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, 108-102 and now we get to see it again, hopefully this time with Giannis Antetekoumpo in uniform. After the loss, the Bucks are 27-15, but still hold the third spot in the eastern conference just a half game behind the Nets. Miami kept pace with Indiana for the seventh seed at 23-20.
Giannis didn’t play and Jimmy Butler was pedestrian, that wasn’t the matchup we were hoping for, though it ended up being a close game. Hopefully tonight both stars take the floor and give us a playoff preview in South Beach.
The Bucks are underdogs with Giannis day-to-day with knee soreness, so let’s take a look at the odds.
Bucks vs. Heat odds, spread and total
Bucks vs. Heat prediction and pick
Miami did not shoot the ball well at all on Thursday and it was still able to get the win. Milwaukee hit 22 of 57 three-pointers in the game, while Miami made just nine of 34, and yet a 58-18 points in the paint advantage and 61-39 advantage on the boards was enough for the Heat. It ended up being a six point game, but it was complete dominance from Miami. The insane volume from deep was the only keeping Milwaukee afloat. It’s hard to rely on that from game to game.
Giannis was a late addition to Milwaukee’s injury report which leads me to believe he won’t suit up. If that’s the case then Brook Lopez needs to step up on the defensive end of the floor. Once again, Lopez is being mentioned in the DPOY conversation, but if you’re the Defensive Player of the Year, then you won’t let the Miami Heat score 58 points in your paint just because Giannis is around.
Miami won without shooting great, if they get hot from the outside then this one could be over early, because without Kris Middleton the Milwaukee offense was already limited. Without Giannis it’s one of the least threatening offenses in the entire NBA.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change