Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks: Injury Reports, Predicted Lineups and Starting 5s - March 2nd, 2022 | NBA Season 2021-22
The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Miami Heat at the Fiserv Forum on Wednesday, March 2. Heading into this game with a four-game winning streak, the Heat beat the Chicago Bulls 112-99 in their last outing. With a 41-21 record on the season, the Heat are the top seed in the East.
The 37-25 Bucks, meanwhile, are coming off a blowout 130-106 win against the Charlotte Hornets. Scoring 44 points in the second quarter of the game, the Bucks will hope to replicate their hot streak against Miami too.
The Heat currently lead their season series with the Bucks 2-1. However, the Bucks will fancy their chances of a win, as they have a relatively healthier roster than Miami.
Miami Heat Injury Report
The Miami Heat have had many players on their roster throughout the season. For this away fixture, they will have four players from their regular rotation in their injury report.
A key player who will be out of the rotation is Kyle Lowry, who remains out due to personal reasons. He also missed the last game.
Other injuries include long-term absentees such as Markieff Morris and Victor Oladipo. Morris has been out since his run-in with Nikola Jokic, and is still recovering.
Although Oladipo has been listed out, he is close to a return for the side. He is yet to play a game this season after sustaining a knee injury.
Heat injury report for Wednesday at Bucks:
Caleb Martin, Questionable, Achilles
Markieff Morris, out, neck
Victor Oladipo, out, G League on assignment
Javonte Smart, out, G League two way
Kyle Lowry, out, personal reasons
(Morris is not with the team.)
Another name on the report is Caleb Martin, who has been listed as questionable because of with an Achilles injury.
Milwaukee Bucks Injury Report
The Milwaukee Bucks also have a few names in their injury report for this home game.
There are no new additions to their injured list. However, the Bucks will feature a shorthanded guard rotation, as George Hill and Pat Connaughton are both listed as out of this clash.
Hill sustained a neck injury, while Connaughton fractured his finger in February. While Hill is expected to return in a week, Connaughton could be out till the end of the regular season.
Meanwhile, Brook Lopez continues to be sidelined with a back injury. He has played only one game with the Bucks this season. There is no timeline for his return yet.
Bucks' latest injury report remains unchanged:
George Hill (neck)- Out
Brook Lopez (back)- Out
Pat Connaughton (finger)- Out
Sandro Mamukelashvili (assignment)- Out
Sandro Mamukelashvili is also out of the rotation, as he has been assigned to the G-League.
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineups
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat have done a great job of adjusting to their injury situation, and are still dominating. Sitting at the top of the East, the Heat have a roster featuring a gifted concoction of stars and role players.
The starting backcourt will probably remain the same as in the last game. With Kyle Lowry out, Gabe Vincent has stepped in as a reliable replacement. Joining him in the backcourt, Duncan Robinson should fill in at the shooting guard spot.
In the frontcourt, Miami have reliable stars and veterans such as Jimmy Butler at small forward and PJ Tucker at power forward. At center, the Heat could feature a talented young star in Bam Adebayo.
Coming off the bench, Miami have seen great contributions from most of their players. Tyler Herro has been particularly impressive this season. Other key contributors include Max Strus and Caleb Martin.
This is what is taking Tyler Herro to that next level offensively
- Refuses the screen out of the high pick and roll, throwing his defender to his right
- Pauses for him to recover, gives him the bump, then explodes forward
- Wide open floater is the outcome
Big time stuff https://t.co/ay5gXCLH29
However, due to Martin's injury, the likes of Kyle Guy could see more playing time.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks have had a pretty straightforward rotation since the start of the season. With most of their main rotation players available, the Bucks are unlikely to make any adjustments to their starting lineup.
Featuring a backcourt duo of Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen, the Bucks could fill out their starting lineup with a frontcourt trio of Khris Middleton at small forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo at power forward and Bobby Portis at center.
While their bench rotation is also fairly reliable, injuries to their guard rotation could see them slightly shorthanded. In this scenario, a few key players off the bench could be Jevon Carter in the backcourt and Serge Ibaka and Jordan Nwora in the frontcourt.
The guard rotation could have Wesley Matthews and DeAndre' Bembry see a significant amount of playing time.
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Starting 5s
Miami Heat
G - Gabe Vincent | G - Duncan Robinson | F - Jimmy Butler | F - PJ Tucker | C - Bam Adebayo.
Milwaukee Bucks
G - Jrue Holiday | G - Grayson Allen | F - Khris Middleton | F - Giannis Antetokounmpo | C - Bobby Portis.