In a rematch of a first round series in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season, the Milwaukee Bucks head to South Beach to take on the Miami Heat. Milwaukee started their season with an emphatic win over a fellow title contender in the Brooklyn Nets. Now, they will look to beat another playoff hopeful, as the Heat look to start their season on a positive note at home. In our NBA picks, we break down Bucks vs Heat and look to pick another winner in the NBA.
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Bucks vs Heat Betting Pick
This game will be played at 8:00 PM ET at FTX Arena on Thursday, October 21, 2021.
Why Bet The Heat:
✅ The Bucks finished strong in their season opener against the Brooklyn Nets, but they showed some vulnerability with their perimeter defense. Milwaukee allowed the Nets to shoot 56% from three-point range, including a 7/7 long-distance shooting night from Patty Mills. Here, the shooters of the Heat will exploit that vulnerability.
✅ Milwaukee will still be without several key players for this game, with Bobby Portis, Donte DiVincenzo, Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood out. Jrue Holiday will also be questionable for this game after suffering a heel injury against the Nets. The Heat are much healthier than the Bucks, which will help Miami in addition to their home court advantage.
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✅ The Miami Heat are simply a better team than they were a year ago. Goran Dragic is no longer their point guard, as Kyle Lowry is set to take over point guard duty. And with former Buck PJ Tucker at the four, Miami has upgraded at multiple positions to go along with Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks got off to a great start in the 2021-2022 NBA season, beating the Brooklyn Nets at home by 23 points. Milwaukee had six double figure scorers in the game, and overcame a heel injury that knocked Jrue Holiday out for the second half of the contest. Bench scoring was a big reason for Milwaukee’s success, as they outscored Brooklyn 45-25 with their reserves.
That kind of bench production may not be sustainable, especially on the road against a veteran team like the Heat. Pat Connaughton and Jordan Nwora combined for 35 points off the bench for the Bucks on Tuesday against the Nets. Those two players in particular should regress to their typical standards in this contest, which could harm the offensive output by the Bucks relative to two nights prior.
Miami Heat
This will be the first game of the season for the Miami Heat, and they will look for revenge against a Bucks team that swept them in the postseason last year. The Heat are a different team than they were a year ago, with Kyle Lowry and PJ Tucker joining the nucleus of Miami ahead of this campaign. For Miami, stopping the duo of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton will have to be priority number one in this game.
Also important in this contest will be finding a way to get Bam Adebayo the looks he is comfortable with on a regular basis. Milwaukee has some lengthy defenders in Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez who will look to slow Adebayo down when they are matched up with him. It will require creativity from Erik Spoelstra to get the relatively undersized Adebayo to get what he wants against the Bucks.