The 8th-seeded Miami Heat meet the 1-seed Milwaukee Bucks Sunday for Game 1 of their 1st-round playoff series. Tip-off from Fiserv Forum is set for 5:30 p.m. ET (TNT). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Heat vs. Bucks odds, and make our expert NBA picks and predictions.
Regular season series was tied 2-2.
Miami secured the 8 seed with a 102-91 win Friday over the Chicago Bulls as 5-point home favorites. Miami guards Jimmy Butler and Max Strus led the way, each scoring 31 points and combining for 17 made free throws. The Heat were the 2nd-best scoring defense in the regular season, only allowing 109.8 pointe per game (PPG).
Milwaukee finished the regular season with a league best 58-24 record, with MVP finalist F Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge. Giannis averaged 31.1 point and 11.8 rebounds per game (RPG) for the Bucks. The Bucks also have C Brook Lopez, who finished as a finalist for DPOY, with his 2.5 blocks per game tied for 2nd in the league. Milwaukee was the best rebounding team, averaging 48.6 RPG.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3011″ ]
[gambcom-standard rankid=”3012″ ]
Heat at Bucks odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 1:53 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Heat +325 (bet $100 to win $325) | Bucks -400 (bet $400 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Heat +9.5 (-115) | Bucks -9.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 219.5 (O: +100 | U: -120)
Play our free daily Pick’em Challenge and win! Play now!
Heat at Bucks key injuries
Heat
- F Nikola Jovic (back) out
- G Kyle Lowry (knee) questionable
- G Gabe Vincent (hip) questionable
Bucks
- None
For most recent updates: Official NBA injury report.
Heat at Bucks picks and predictions
Prediction
Bucks 122, Heat 110
Moneyline
AVOID.
The Bucks should win this game despite the tightness of the regular season series. Expect Giannis and his co-stars to dominate a Heat team that has stars, but are very inconsistent. The line here is far too rich for my blood as the risk here is not worth the reward.
Against the spread
LEAN BUCKS -9.5 (-105).
Expect the defense of Milwaukee to stifle this Heat team that had the worst offense in the NBA, averaging only 109.5 ppg. A playoff game having a spread this high is a risky bet, but the trends clearly suggest to lean toward the Bucks. The Heat are only 1-4 ATS in the last 5 meetings in Milwaukee.
Over/Under
BET OVER 219.5 (+100).
For Miami the Over is 5-0 in their last 5 overall and for Milwaukee the Over is 6-1 in their last 7 after scoring 100+ in their previous game. The Over is also 5-0 in the last 5 meetings in Milwaukee.
[gambcom-standard rankid=”5″ ]
For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.
Follow @payton_shanks on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and like us on Facebook.
Access more NBA coverage:
HoopsHype | Bulls Wire | Celtics Wire | Nets Wire | Rockets Wire | Sixers Wire | Thunder Wire | Warriors Wire | LeBron Wire | Rookie Wire | List Wire
[lawrence-newsletter]
[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1368]