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GAME STORY
The Miami Heat (41-21) are looking to follow up an impressive win with another important matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks (37-25) on Wednesday night.
The Heat are 2-1 so far this season against the Bucks, but all of them have been abnormal games. In the first matchup, the Heat beat the Bucks without Jrue Holiday on opening night and they smacked them bad. The second matchup, in Milwaukee, the Heat lost to the Bucks without Giannis. A week later, they beat the Bucks with Giannis as they were without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
Now, all of those players will be playing, with only Kyle Lowry as a main piece missing (personal reasons).
The Bucks have lost four of six games, while Miami has won 9 of their last 10 games. A win for the Heat here would also secure any tie-breaker with the Bucks.
The Heat will have a lot to handle with the Bucks. Obviously Giannis is a big problem, but Middleton and Holiday present unique matchups, especially in the Heat’s second unit. Without Lowry, Miami will have a hard time playing Duncan, Max, and Tyler in sets. The opportunity for mismatches is not good. Milwaukee knows how Miami wants to play and you will see them iso Middleton a lot on the Heat’s inferior defender.
This is a game that Bam needs to dominate and not allow Bobby Portis to keep him from doing so. Then, the Heat just need a few shooters to do their thing. On the road, it’s never an easy win. The Heat will have to play really well to walk out with a win — and this is the first night of a back-to-back.
Tough matchup, but it is exam week and we are going to learn how the Heat stack up.
The ODDS for the game have the Heat at +3.5 on the spread.
Eastern Conference Finals Schedule
| GAME | DATE | MATCHUP | TIME | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GAME | DATE | MATCHUP | TIME | TV |
| Game 1 | Tuesday, May 17 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 2 | Thursday, May 19 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 3 | Saturday, May 21 | Miami @ Boston | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Game 4 | Monday, May 23 | Miami @ Boston | 8:30 p.m. ET | ABC |
| Game 5* | Wednesday, May 25 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 6* | Friday, May 27 | Miami @ Boston | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
| Game 7* | Sunday, May 29 | Boston @ Miami | 8:30 p.m. ET | ESPN |
HEAT VS BUCKS: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2 AT 8:00 PM
INACTIVE/INJURIES
MIAMI:
- Victor Oladipo: out (G-League assignment)
- Markieff Morris: out (neck)
- Kyle Lowry: out (personal reasons)
- Javonte Smart: out (two-way)
- Caleb Martin: questionable (achilles)
MILWAUKEE:
- George Hill: out (neck)
- Brook Lopez: out (back)
- Pat Connaughton: out (hand)
LINEUPS
Projected Starters
| Clippers | Position | Heat |
|---|---|---|
| Clippers | Position | Heat |
| Reggie Jackson | PG | Kyle Lowry |
| Paul George | SG | Tyler Herro |
| Kawhi Leonard | SF | Jimmy Butler |
| Marcus Morris Sr. | PF | Caleb Martin |
| Ivica Zubac | C | Bam Adebayo |
BROADCAST INFO
TV: Bally Sports Sun, NBA League Pass
RADIO: The Ticket 790AM & The HEAT Radio Network (Jason Jackson, Ruth Riley Hunter)
SPANISH RADIO: WAQI 710AM & The HEAT Spanish Radio Network (José Pañeda, Joe Pujala)
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