The Milwaukee Bucks, playing a back-to-back, will travel to take on the Miami Heat in a Thursday night NBA matchup at FTX Arena. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our NBA odds series, which includes a Bucks-Heat prediction and pick, laid out below.
Milwaukee has surged to a 27-14 record, third place in the Eastern Conference. on the backs of their nine-game winning streak to open the season. Even with an injury to Khris Middleton, the team is in a strong position to make a deep playoff run.
Here are the Bucks-Heat NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel
NBA Odds: Bucks-Heat Odds
Milwaukee Bucks: +4 (-110)
Miami Heat: -4 (-110)
Over: 217.5 (-110)
Under: 217.5 (-110)
How To Watch Bucks vs. Heat
TV: Bally Sports Wisconsin, Bally Sports Sun
Stream: NBA, NBA League Pass
Time: 7:40 PM ET/ 4:40 PM PT
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why The Bucks Could Cover The Spread
Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the team with 31.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. The Greek Freak is shooting 52.4 percent from the field, while Miami has struggled to limit opponents’ shooting. Opponents have shot 47.6 percent against Miami. Jrue Holiday leads the team with 7.1 assists, 1.4 steals per game, and ranks second with 18.4 points per game. Miami has only turned the ball over 13.5 times per game. Bobby Portis, who has spent the majority of the season coming off the bench, is averaging a double-double with 14.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. Miami has only allowed 43.1 rebounds per game. Milwaukee ranks first averaging 49.5 rebounds and sixth with 5.3 blocks per game. Brook Lopez has turned back the clock, averaging 14.7 points per game, his highest total since 2016-17. Lopez has also turned away 2.6 shots per game.
Why The Heat Could Cover The Spread
Jimmy Butler leads the team with 22.1 points and 2.2 steals per game, and ranks second with 6.7 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Butler has shot 50.9 percent from the field. Bam Adebayo leads the team with 9.9 rebounds per game and ranks second with 21.4 points per game, narrowly missing a double-double. Adebayo has shot 53.8 percent from the field, which leads the team. Tyler Herro, who is out for this one, has shot 39.2 percent from behind the 3-point line and ranks third on the team with 21.2 points per game. Kyle Lowry leads the team with 5.6 assists per game, also scoring 13.1 points per game. Max Strus, Victor Oladipo, and Caleb Martin are the final Heat players with double-digit points, averaging 13.2 points, 11.4, and 10.4 points per game, respectively. Oladipo has also averaged 1.8 steals per game.
Miami ranks third in the league with 8.4 steals, while Milwaukee has struggled to limit turnovers. Miami has turned the ball over just 13.5 times per game, which is sixth in the league. The Heat do not score much, ranking last in the league with 108.8 points per game. The team’s success relies on their defense, which has held opponents to 109.0 points per game, second in the league.
Final Bucks-Heat Prediction & Pick
Even with the back-to-back, the Heat are too injured to win this one.
Final Bucks-Heat Prediction & Pick: Milwaukee +4 (-110), over 217.5 (-110)