Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat Prediction & Match Preview - December 30, 2020 | NBA Season 2020-21
The Miami Heat will attempt to bounce back after the Milwaukee Bucks trounced them 144-97 in the first of their back-to-back matchups. The Bucks were historic from beyond the arc, making 29 three-pointers, the most ever in an NBA game.
Match Details
Fixture: Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat - NBA Season 2020-21
Date & Time: Wednesday, December 30th, 7:30 PM ET
Venue: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida
Milwaukee Bucks Preview
The Milwaukee Bucks could not do anything wrong against the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. They opened up the game with a 47 point first quarter and never looked back.
In the Bucks' historic shooting night, they were 56.9% from three and had over twelve players convert a shot from behind the arc.
The Bucks will probably not shoot as well as they did on Tuesday, when they broke a league record. But what was most important in that performance was the bench strength and squad depth they demonstrated.
Milwaukee had 11 players play over double-digit minutes, and seven players score 10 points or more. The Bucks leading scorer, Khris Middleton said after the game:
"It's contagious when we play the right way. Guys find the open man and shoot the ball when they're open. That's what it's all about."
If Milwaukee can continue to play the right way and get high production deep into their roster, they can beat the Miami Heat without breaking a sweat on Wednesday night.
Key Player - Giannis Antetokounmpo
The key player for the Milwaukee Bucks is Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP is underperforming at the start of the season, by his normal standards. He is shooting just 47.3% from the field, whereas he averaged 55.3% last season.
If the Bucks are to be contenders to come out of the Eastern Conference, their $228.2 million superstar will have to get back to his MVP level.
Milwaukee Bucks Predicted Lineup
G Jrue Holiday, G Donte Divincenzo, F Kris Middleton, F Giannis Antetokounmpo, C Brook Lopez
Miami Heat Preview
The Miami Heat need not worry about a repeat of the Bucks' Tuesday night shooting performance. They do need to worry about improving their effort and urgency on Wednesday.
The Heat are without their All-Star guard Jimmy Butler, who is the heart and soul of this Miami team. Butler suffered an ankle injury on Christmas Day, and should be back soon.
The Miami Heat will have to motivate themselves without their star player and come out with urgency against the Milwaukee Bucks from the opening whistle.
Key Player - Duncan Robinson
Duncan Robinson is the key player for the Miami Heat. The 3rd year guard's sharpshooting ability can ignite the team. Robinson is shooting 52.6% from three this season.
The 26-year-old had just four points on Tuesday night. He will need to become more aggressive on offense to give Miami a chance to redeem themselves from the blowout 47 point loss in the first game of the back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Miami Heat Predicted Lineup
G Tyler Herro, G Duncan Robinson, F Kendrick Nunn, F Bam Adebayo, C Meyers Leonard
Bucks vs Heat Prediction
Milwaukee Bucks will beat the Miami Heat for the second night in a row. Do not expect the Bucks to catch fire from three again, but look for Giannis to regain his confidence and put together a dominating performance.
Where to watch Bucks vs Heat
The game will be available live on NBA TV. You can also stream the same via the NBA League Pass.