Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Preview: A Defensive Slugfest

The 30-12 Milwaukee Bucks host the 21-20 Miami Heat tonight at the Fiserv Forum. The Heat won the first meeting between these two teams 94-87.

Bucks Update

Milwaukee is coming off a 133-114 bullying of the Hawks in Atlanta. Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 33 points. Point guard Eric Bledsoe chipped in 24 points while Khris Middleton dropped 17 and Malcolm Brogdon added 14 points. D.J. Wilson made his presence felt in 17 minutes, finishing with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks. Every Bucks player that saw playing time finished with a positive plus-minus...except for Pat Connaughton, who only played 2 minutes in fairness to him :(

Donte DiVincenzo is listed as probable for this tilt.

Player to Watch: Giannis Antetokounmpo

I try to stay away from choosing him for obvious reasons, but if there’s one team that has made life difficult for him is these pesky Miami Heat. In 18 career matchups, he’s averaging 16.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.1 assists while shooting 47.2 percent. Last time these two played, he scored 9 points while finishing minus-9.

Heat Update

The Heat continues to alternate wins and losses and currently, find themselves as the 6th seed in the East.

They’re coming off a 112-108 home victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. Justise Winslow exploded for 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in 34 minutes. He made 10-of-16 shots and finished plus-23...he’s been on a tear recently. Seven players scored in double-figures for the Heat and they made 15-of-31 three-pointers (48.4%). Their record is a bit deceiving, as they have guys who can flat-out ball, but they’ve dealt with myriad injuries this season.

Miami will be without Goran Dragic (knee), and the status of Hassan Whiteside is still TBD after he missed their last game versus Memphis, although he’s listed in the projected starters on the Heat’s game sheet.

Player to Watch: Justise Winslow

He’s a fine ball player and is finally healthy for the first time in his career. The last 10 games he’s averaging 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 5.8 assists while making 49.3 percent of his shots. He can light it up in a hurry.