Heat vs. Bucks Game 2 Prediction: NBA Playoff Odds, Point Spread
Milwaukee opened as a 4.5-point favourite on the NBA odds.
Heat vs. Bucks Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Milwaukee be the “home” team for Game 2 as it was for its 115-104 upset loss Monday. It should be noted that the Bucks also lost Game 1 of their first-round playoff series against the Orlando Magic but then won the next four in dominating fashion. Miami is a lot better than Orlando, though. The Heat have yet to lose in these playoffs. They were also the only Eastern Conference team to beat the Bucks twice in the regular season.
The Bucks remain +120 favourites to win the Eastern Conference but are third to win the NBA title at +400 behind the Clippers (+300) and Lakers (+325), who have yet to open second-round play. The Heat are +500 to win the East and +1200 for the NBA championship.
Miami is 9-4 ATS in the past 13 meetings, and the total has gone under in seven of the previous nine.
Miami Heat
The best player on the floor Monday was not Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is going to win a second straight league MVP Award, but Miami’s Jimmy Butler. He not only helped play terrific defence on the Greek Freak but poured in a playoff career-high 40 points, 27 in the second half. His three-pointer with about three minutes left was the shot of the game. He was 13-for-20 from the field, 12-for-13 from the free-throw line and 2-for-2 from deep.
Butler got plenty of help as Goran Dragic had 27 rebounds, six rebounds and five assists (he has been fantastic since being inserted into the starting lineup at the start of the playoffs), and Bam Adebayo 12 points, 17 rebounds and six assists. Jae Crowder and Andre Iguodala also were part of a defensive clamp down on the Freak. Canadian Kelly Olynyk played just eight minutes off the bench and had four points and two rebounds.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks are just the fourth No. 1 seed to lose Game 1 in each of their first two series. It didn’t help their cause Monday that starting point guard Eric Bledsoe was a surprising scratch with a right hamstring strain. Bledsoe was the team’s third-leading scorer in the regular season and is a very good defender. George Hill started in his placed and was only 2-for-5 from the field with four turnovers. However, the story was clearly how the Heat kept Antetokounmpo out of the paint – much like the Raptors did in the final four games of the 2019 East Finals.
Giannis had a nice line of 18 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, but he too often settled for jumpers and when he did get to the free-throw line was an ugly 4-for-12. That was the worst performance by any player with at least 12 free-throw attempts in a playoff game since Andre Roberson went 2-for-12 for Oklahoma City on April 23, 2017 against Houston. On nights that Giannis isn’t far and away the best player on the floor, the Bucks are going to lose to good teams. Milwaukee is 12-3 ATS in its past 15 after a double-digit loss.
MIA
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