Heat vs Bucks NBA Pick: Conference Rivals Face Off In Miami (Apr 5)

• The Heat are 35-42 and currently occupy the No. 9 spot in the conference playoff race.
• Milwaukee is 42-34 and tied with Detroit for the fifth-best record in the conference.
• These teams last played on Feb. 23, with the Bucks claiming a 120-113 victory.

One of the games on Saturday’s NBA slate features the Miami Heat hosting the Milwaukee Bucks. Which team gets the “W” in our Heat vs Bucks pick?

Heat Look To Bounce Back From Last-Second Loss To Memphis

On Thursday night, the Heat saw their six-game winning streak end with a 110-108 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Tyler Herro had a remarkable performance, finishing with 35 points, nine rebounds, and four assists.

Miami’s sharpshooter converted 12 of his 23 attempts, and knocked down four of his seven attempts from behind the 3-point line.

In a back-and-forth battle, it was only fitting that the outcome of this game wasn’t decided until the waning moments of this contest.

With the game tied at 108, Ja Morant (30 points and five rebounds) made a 12-foot jumper as time expired to help Memphis escape with a two-point victory. And since Milwaukee beat Philadelphia earlier in the day, Miami is locked into the play-in round for the third straight season.

Milwaukee Seeking Its Third Straight Victory

Following a late-season, four-game losing skid, the Bucks enter this tilt riding a two-game win streak, including a 126-113 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.

Milwaukee’s offense featured a balanced attack where seven players reached double figures, including all five starters. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a historic night, becoming the first player in NBA history to produce a stat line that included 35 points, 17 rebounds, and a career-high 20 assists.

Milwaukee’s versatile big man also shot 12-for-19 from the floor and 10-for-11 from the charity stripe.

Brook Lopez finished with 17 points. Kyle Kuzma and Taurean Prince contributed 17 and 13 points, respectively.

The decimated Sixers led by 14 points after the first quarter. But thanks to a 15-0 run by Milwaukee to begin the second quarter, the road team took a two-point lead into the break.

With the game tied at 85 in the third quarter, the Bucks went on a 11-2 burst, giving them a nine-point lead heading into the final frame, a lead they would not relinquish.

Heat vs Bucks Pick: Who Has The Edge In This Conference Showdown?

The Heat are 6-4 in their last 10 games. Although they have the sixth-worst scoring average in the league, they are seventh in scoring defense, allowing 109.8 points per contest.

On the other hand, the Bucks have gone 4-6 across their previous 10 outings. Milwaukee is ranked 13th in offensive efficiency and has the 12th-best defensive rating in the association, giving up 113.5 points per 100 possessions.

Dating back to the 2022-23 campaign, the Bucks have won seven of the last eight matchups in this series, including all three games this season. Given that trend, look for Milwaukee to get the season sweep when these conference rivals face off on Saturday night.