Could be an Eastern Conference playoff preview Friday night from south Florida as Milwaukee visits town. Both are in the postseason as things stand, although Miami’s spot is much more precarious. The Heat are home NBA betting lines favorites.
The Heat need a jolt as they have lost five straight. It was 109-101 at home vs. Houston on Wednesday. The Heat tied the game at 87 with 8:46 left to play, but the Rockets went on a 7-0 run and didn’t let Miami get closer than four points the rest of the way as they closed out the, 109-101, win. Both Josh Richardson and Goran Dragić each scored a team-high 30 points. They were the first pair of Heat starting backcourt teammates to each post at least 30 points in the same game since Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 30 apiece on 11/20/09 at Toronto.
Josh Richardson has recorded a team-leading 73 steals this season while also blocking 52 shots, the second-most on the team. He is just one of five players in the entire NBA to record at least 70 steals and block at least 50 shots this season. Miami has eight players averaging at least 10 points a game this season, the most in the NBA (min. 30 games played).
Friday Night NBA Betting Lines & Expert Pick: Bucks vs. Heat
When: Friday, 8 PM ET Where: AmericanAirlines Arena TV: NBA League Pass, FSWI, SUN Stream: NBA League Pass Radio: 105.7 FM The Fan (Milwaukee) / AM 790 The Ticket (Miami) NBA Betting Lines: Heat -1 (199.5)Season Series
Miami leads 2-0 and this is the final meeting. On Jan. 14 in south Florida, the Heat won 97-79. Goran Dragic scored 11 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, and the Heat held Milwaukee to its worst shooting game in nearly five years. Josh Richardson scored 16 and Hassan Whiteside finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for Miami. Milwaukee shot 32 percent, the lowest percentage by a Bucks team in a regular-season game since March 22, 2013. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Malcolm Brogdon combined to shoot 13 for 24 for the Bucks Just three days later in Milwaukee, the Heat won 106-101. Whiteside had a season-high 27 points along with 13 rebounds and six blocks. Dragic and Kelly Olynyk added 15 points apiece. Khris Middleton had 25 points to lead Milwaukee. Antetokounmpo added 22 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. The Heat are 66-41 all-time versus Milwaukee during the regular season and is 33-19 in games played in Miami. The Heat are 33-22 in games played on the road.Latest NBA Betting Lines Trends
- Milwaukee is 5-2 ATS in its last 7 games
- Milwaukee is 7-1 SU in its last 8 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Milwaukee’s last 5 games
- Miami is 1-5-1 ATS in its last 7 games at home
- Miami is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Miami’s last 9 games
Why Bet on Milwaukee?
The Bucks didn’t make any moves on Thursday’s NBA trade deadline day even though they were linked to Clippers center DeAndre Jordan. Why mess with what’s working? The Bucks have won three in a row following a 103-89 blowout at the Knicks on Tuesday to move a season-high seven games over .500. The last time Milwaukee was seven games over the .500 mark was on 2/25/15 when it was 32-25 during the 2014-15 season. Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded his 23rd 20-point/10-rebound game of the season (4th-most in the NBA) after scoring 23 points with 11 rebounds and six assists against the Knicks. Antetokounmpo’s 23 20/10 games in 2017-18 are already one more than the 22 20/10 games he had during the 2016-17 season. Eric Bledsoe scored 20+ points for the second consecutive game, and for the 16th time as a Buck, after scoring a game-high-tying 23 points with eight assists and five rebounds vs. New York. Milwaukee is 13-3 when Bledsoe scores at least 20 points. Milwaukee held New York to just 41.6 percent shooting and 89 points on Tuesday. The Bucks have held their opponents to under 45 percent shooting and fewer than 100 points in each of their last three games, and in six of their last seven contests. On the season, Milwaukee is 20-2 when its opponent shoots less than 45.0 percent and 15-3 when they score less than 100 points. Will the Bucks get back center John Henson for this one? He missed Tuesday’s game dealing with some discomfort in his hamstring after tweaking it on Sunday.Why Bet on Miami?
The Heat did make a trade Thursday, bringing back franchise icon Dwyane Wade from Cleveland for a second-round pick. Wade signed with the Cavs in September after working out a buyout with the Chicago Bulls. He spent last season with Chicago after 13 seasons and three championships with Miami. Wade was averaging a career-low 11.2 points per game this season, coming off the bench in 43 of 46 contests. He says he plans to play in this game. Wade is the Miami Heat’s franchise leader in career games played (855), points (20,221), assists (4,944), and steals (1,414). Miami also acquired forward Luke Babbitt from Atlanta in return for forward Okaro White. Babbitt, who played for Miami during the 2016-17 season, has averaged 6.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 15.2 minutes per game. Kelly Olynyk (left shoulder strain) did not practice on Thursday and is doubtful for Friday’s game.
The Heat need a jolt as they have lost five straight. It was 109-101 at home vs. Houston on Wednesday. The Heat tied the game at 87 with 8:46 left to play, but the Rockets went on a 7-0 run and didn’t let Miami get closer than four points the rest of the way as they closed out the, 109-101, win. Both Josh Richardson and Goran Dragić each scored a team-high 30 points. They were the first pair of Heat starting backcourt teammates to each post at least 30 points in the same game since Wade and Mario Chalmers each scored 30 apiece on 11/20/09 at Toronto.
Josh Richardson has recorded a team-leading 73 steals this season while also blocking 52 shots, the second-most on the team. He is just one of five players in the entire NBA to record at least 70 steals and block at least 50 shots this season. Miami has eight players averaging at least 10 points a game this season, the most in the NBA (min. 30 games played).
