2 min read • March 02, 2022
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Slight Advantage: Bucks
Check out this matchup's Court View here:
The 41-21 Heat and 37-25 Bucks have faced off in the playoffs each of the last 2 years, with the Heat winning in a landslide in 2020 and the Bucks sweeping the Heat on their way to a title in 2021, and the two contenders will play once again Wednesday with both teams coming off of double-digit wins.
Heat Team Health Score: 86.7
The red-hot Heat will face the struggling Bucks without Kyle Lowry, who is out on Wednesday for personal reasons, which also kept him out for 9 games in January that slowed the Heat to a 5-4 record.
In the 10 games since, the Heat are 9-1 and have risen once again to the No. 1 seed in the East, seeing contributions from the likes of Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, and Max Strus while running through opponents like a well-oiled machine.
Bam Adebayo has been dominant, averaging 22 points with 10.9 rebounds and 3.2 turnovers forced on 57.6% shooting in February, clearly recovered from the torn UCL in his thumb that kept him out for 22 games.
Bucks Team Health Score: 88.8
The defending champion Bucks, meanwhile, are 2-4 in their last 6 and 12-12 since Jan. 3, and enter without depth pieces George Hill, Pat Conaughton, and Brook Lopez.
While Milwaukee has all of their starting lineup available, only 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokuonmpo has been consistently productive this season.
Khris Middleton is averaging 17.3 points with 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds on .423/.273/.851 splits in the last 11 games, while Jrue Holiday was hyper-efficient in February, scoring 19.5 points with 6.8 assists on 58.3% shooting and 55.8% from 3.
The Bucks will need to find contributions from their bench, which is not nearly as impactful without Hill and Conaughton, and is already one of the worst in the league with 26.7 points per game on 39.5% shooting.
The Heat have been one of the best benches in the NBA this season, led by Tyler Herro and flanked by Strus, Martin, and Dewayne Dedmon.
Potential Plays:
Tyler Herro O18.5 points
Heat +4.5
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