Bucks vs Heat Odds, Lines and Spread

• The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat meet for the second time in two nights on December 30th
• Milwaukee blew the Heat out on Tuesday, winning 144-97
• Get the latest odds, betting preview and a pick for Wednesday’s game

The Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat matchup on December 30th following the Bucks’ record-breaking win on Tuesday. Milwaukee set an NBA record for threes made in a game with 29, on their way to a 144-97 pummelling of Miami in the first meeting between the two teams since the Heat eliminated the Bucks in the second round of the bubble playoffs.

After suffering an ankle injury on Christmas Day against the Pelicans, Jimmy Butler was unavailable for Erik Spoelstra on Tuesday. It’s unlikely he will take the floor on Wednesday either – his presence was sorely missed, particularly on the defensive end.

Despite such an emphatic win to move to 2-2 on the young season, Milwaukee is just six-point favorites for Wednesday’s encounter.

Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat Odds

Odds taken on Dec 30 from FanDuel

Strange Season

Milwaukee has been as inconsistent as it gets. They fell to the Celtics in their season opener, undone by a Jayson Tatum game-winner. That was relatively normal, but since then they have blown out the Warriors, been blown out by the Knicks and flattened the Heat. Not many teams in NBA history will have lost heavily to one of the worst teams in the league just a couple days before beating the reigning conference champions.

The extreme results should aid the Bucks’ cause in a back-to-back. Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday are all well-rested – they’re averaging around 30 minutes per game. Antetokounmpo has started the season slowly by his recent MVP standards, and been turnover prone, but in the Heat’s efforts to slow him down, they allowed Milwaukee’s shooters to get hot.

With no Butler, Miami’s perimeter defense is weak. Avery Bradley is coming off the bench, leaving Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro in the starting lineup.

Such an overwhelmingly hot shooting night cannot be blamed entirely on the defense, but this was an area of concern for Miami already, and one the Bucks exposed on Tuesday.

Heat Playmaking

If Butler sits out again, the Heat are reliant on Bam Adebayo as their lead playmaker. Goran Dragic is still working back from injury. Herro is not yet ready to guide the offense. The Heat rank 30th in turnover rate early in the season and they have struggled to generate offense – their offensive rating is 25th in the NBA.

Adebayo is averaging 4.1 assists per 36 so far this season, a drop from 5.5 in 2019-20. The ball movement that made the Heat such a fun offense to watch last season has not been on show in 2020-21 thus far.

Milwaukee’s individual defensive talent level is too high to end up playing one-on-one. The Heat have to pull the defense around the court, and getting the ball in the hands of Adebayo is the best way to do that.

Butler plays such an important role as a playmaker. Beyond his ability to create his own off the bounce, the former Chicago Bull is an excellent passer. His dribble penetration opens up looks for Herro, Robinson and others. Without Butler, the offense can look stagnant.

Back the Bucks

The Heat are expected to bounce back with a big performance after such an embarrassing loss. There are going to be interesting dynamics at play all season long with teams playing each other in quick succession. Miami will be extra motivated, but the availability of Butler is key to this one.

Given that he missed the second half against New Orleans and was unavailable on Tuesday, it would be a shock if he plays Wednesday. With Dragic far from his post-season best and no Butler, this Heat team is working at a significant talent deficit.

The loss to the Knicks shows this Milwaukee team has a slip up in them, but they look a good bet to move to 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Pick: Milwaukee Bucks -6 (-110)