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Andrew Rogers
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Game 4 Prediction, Playoff Odds
The Milwaukee Bucks don’t care that the Miami Heat are the defending Eastern Conference champions – they have their own title aspirations as they look to complete a first-round four-game sweep Saturday afternoon in South Beach. The Bucks have overcome a shaky start to the series with consecutive one-sided victories, and oddsmakers have them as the favourite to knock the Heat out of the postseason in four quick games.
Bucks vs. Heat NBA Playoff Odds
Despite winning the previous two games by a combined 63 points, Milwaukee is giving just 4 ½ on the betting line as it takes its first shot at advancing to the second round. The Bucks have covered back-to-back games after going just 1-7 ATS over their previous eight, and will look to continue working their way out of a 2-4 ATS trend over their last six road outings. Miami was 8-2 ATS over its previous 10 contests before getting thumped in Games 2 and 3.
The moneyline betting trends are squarely in favour of the visitors, with 90 percent of Sports Interaction bettors siding with the Bucks. The Over/Under split, on the other hand, is much closer, with just 56 percent of Sports Interaction customers leaning toward the O221.5. Miami is riding a red-hot 12-4 O/U streak over its previous 16 games, but have converted the Under in eight of its last 10 meetings with the Bucks at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Milwaukee Bucks
Even if the Bucks advance to Round 2 with a victory Saturday, they’ll be down an important player for the remainder of their postseason run. Guard Donte DiVincenzo has been lost for the rest of the season with an ankle injury suffered in the second quarter of Thursday’s 113-84 rout. DiVincenzo, who suffered a torn ligament after taking an awkward step, had a terrific regular season, averaging career highs of 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists.
Miami Heat
Getting off to a good start is critical for a Heat team whose season hangs in the balance. Miami fell behind by a 15-2 margin in Game 2 and couldn’t recover – and Game 3 wasn’t much different, with the Heat surrendering 12 of the last 16 points and never challenging the rest of the way. Miami ranked slightly above average this season with a plus-0.3 first quarter scoring margin, while the Bucks are a top-4 team league-wide at plus-2.9.
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