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The Miami Heat begins a short road trip tonight when they face the Milwaukee Bucks in chilly Wisconsin. The Bucks are the only team to beat the Heat over the past two weeks, with Miami winning 8 of their last 9 games. The lone loss came at the hands of the Bucks, who came to South Florida with just one road win, but left with a 91-82 victory over the Heat.
Miami has since won five straight games and is viewed as the hottest team in the NBA. Milwaukee is also looked at as one of the hotter teams in the league, winning 5 of their last 7 games. The two losses came at the hands of two better teams in the Eastern Conference (Atlanta and Chicago) by a combined 12 points. The Bucks have won their last two games against the Heat, but both times Miami was without the services of Dwyane Wade.
Milwaukee has been dealing with their own injured star, as Andrew Bogut was lost for eight to twelve weeks after fracturing his ankle four games ago. Drew Gooden has replaced Bogut in the starting lineup and is averaging 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds in his absence. The Bucks have also been forcing turnovers at a much higher rate, getting 16.3 per game out of their opponent, good for 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
Miami forces the most turnovers in the east, grabbing 18.0 per game. The Heat fare much better in games where they don't give the ball away, holding an impressive 11-0 record when turning the ball over 15 times or less. In their last eight wins Miami is averaging just 12.9 turnovers per game,
GAME NOTES
- Miami is 6-3 on the road. Milwaukee is 6-2 at home.
- This is the second of three meetings between the Heat and Bucks this season.
- Bucks young star Brandon Jennings is averaging 23.5 points over his last eight games.
- Miami has lost two straight games to Milwaukee after winning the previous four.
- The Heat continues to list Dwyane Wade (ankle) as day-to-day.
- For the Bucks, Andrew Bogut (ankle) is out.
Tipoff from the Bradley Center is set for 8pm. The game will be broadcast locally on Sun Sports.