The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks continue their Eastern Conference Semifinals best-of-seven series Wednesday for Game 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET in the Orlando bubble (on ESPN). We analyze the Heat-Bucks NBA betting odds and lines, with picks and best bets.
Series: Miami leads 1-0.
Heat vs. Bucks: Key injuries
Heat
- PF Chris Silva (groin) out
- SG Gabe Vincent (shoulder) questionable
Bucks
- PG Eric Bledsoe (hamstring) questionable
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Heat vs. Bucks: Odds, lines, picks and betting tips
NBA odds courtesy of BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports for a full list. Odds last updated Wednesday at 6:27 a.m. ET.
Prediction
Bucks 118, Heat 111
Moneyline (ML)
The Bucks (-223) are rather heavy favorites to rebound in Game 2 after their subpar showing against the Heat (+180) in the series opener. It’s not that the Bucks played poorly, but they didn’t play their best, and the Heat are more than capable of taking them to the limit.
AVOID betting the moneyline, as you just cannot risk more than two times your potential return, especially after the Bucks are fresh off a Game 1 loss. The same thing happened in their series against the Orlando Magic. Milwaukee lost Game 1 but bounced back with four straight wins and a 3-0-1 ATS run. Of course, the Heat are quite a bit better than the Magic.
Also see:
- Miami Heat rumors (HoopsHype)
- Milwaukee Bucks rumors (HoopsHype)
- HoopsHype – The latest NBA coverage
Line/Against the Spread (ATS)
The BUCKS -5 (-110) were also a 5-point favorite in Game 1 where they were dropped 115-104. It won’t happen again. Milwaukee also won’t shoot a dismal 54 percent (14 of 26) from the free-throw stripe again. Of course, they were 27th in the NBA in the category, so don’t expect a ton of improvement. However, they also were the league’s top scoring offense with 118.7 PPG, and they won’t struggle to barely get into the low 100’s like Game 1.
New to sports betting? A $10 wager on the Bucks returns a profit of $9.09 if they win by 6 or more points.
Over/Under (O/U)
The OVER 220.5 (-110) is the play here. Milwaukee’s scoring will improve from Game 1. Miami allowed 109.1 PPG during the season, good for 10th in the league defensively. The Bucks will be able to eclipse that quite a bit. The two teams combined for 246 points in a 130-116 Milwaukee win in the bubble Aug. 6, easily hitting the Over. The Over is 2-1 in the three previous meetings between the teams this season.
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