This Saturday, the (29-24) Miami Heat will travel to Milwaukee, WI to take on the (35-17) Milwaukee Bucks. Tipoff will be at 8:00 PM EST inside the Fiserv Forum. This will also be the third time that these two teams have matched up this season, as the Heat won the last meeting, 111-95.
The Miami Heat are coming into this one after falling to the New York Knicks, 106-104. Miami played well in that game, but they struggled to start. They will have to be more aggressive in this one if they want to challenge the Bucks on the road.
The Milwaukee Bucks are entering this game after taking down the Los Angeles Clippers, 106-105. They battled back to win this game, as they looked incredible in the final four minutes. They will have to stay hot in this one if they want to take care of business at home.
This game was written/published before last night's results.
The Miami Heat are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings, as they are 8.5 games back from the first-place Celtics. On offense, they are scoring 108.4 points per game and they have shot 45.3% from the floor. This is the least amount of points scored per game and the 28th-highest team shooting percentage. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Heat have the 27th-highest adjusted offensive rating in the NBA. Jimmy Butler continues to lead the way on the offensive end of the floor, as he is scoring 21.7 points per game on 51.8% shooting from the field. Miami has also shown that they are much more successful when they are attacking the rim. They have only shot 33.7% from behind the arc, which is the 26th-highest three-point shooting percentage in the league. The Miami Heat have also shot 82.2% from the charity stripe, which is the third-highest free-throw shooting percentage. They can't miss out on these free points and still expect to win these games.
On the defensive end of the court, the Heat have been tough to beat. They are only allowing 108.1 points per game and they have forced their opponents to shoot 47.5% from the floor. This is the second least amount of points allowed per game and the 20th-highest shooting percentage allowed. According to dunksandthrees.com, the Heat have the fourth-lowest adjusted defensive rating in the NBA. Miami has ashen that they will contest shots, but their perimeter defense has continued to hurt them. They have allowed their opponents to shoot 36.6% from deep, which is the 24th-highest three-point shooting percentage allowed. The Heat have snatched 41.3 rebounds per game, as well. This is the 27th most, as they will have to crash the offensive and defensive glass if they want to compete in this game.
Injury Report: Victor Oladipo SG (Ankle) and Orlando Robinson PF (Thumb) are questionable. Duncan Robinson SF (Finger ), Nikola Jovic SF (Back), and Omer Yurtseven C (Ankle) are out.
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