Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat 12/8/21: Starting Lineups, Matchup Preview, Betting Odds, Live Stream

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Matchup Preview (12/8/21)

For the second time in just a few days, the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat will face a battle between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Last Saturday, the Bucks had their way with the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum, winning by a score of 124-102. In that matchup, the Bucks did not have Giannis Antetokounmpo, while Miami was without Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Giannis will be back for this matchup, but Butler and Adebayo will not be. Max Strus was the leading scorer for the Heat with 25 points, which was a season-high for him. This game should be fairly lopsided since the Heat have several injuries, Strus will probably not have 25 points again, and the Bucks will have Giannis back.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Betting Odds

This is absolutely not a Milwaukee Bucks squad that you want to see right now if you are an opposing NBA team. They have won ten of their past 11 games, with most of them quite comfortable. Milwaukee now has every key contributor back on its roster with the exception of its startling center Brook Lopez, who is still out with a back injury for quite a while longer. However, the Bucks were able to sign Demarcus Cousins and sign him. While he is likely not a permanent fix due to his injury history, he provides a viable option and good depth to an already dangerous squad. The Bucks handily beat the talented Miami Heat on Saturday by 22 points at home without Giannis even playing. Jimmy Butler will also be out with a tailbone injury, as well as Markieff Morris and Bam Adebayo, which leaves the Heat extremely short-handed. They will be on the road in this game, which is actually beneficial to any Bucks bettors, in my opinion, because the line will be slightly tighter. If the line for the Bucks ATS is around -7 or -8, then I will be punching that with no hesitation.

TV Schedule

Date: 12/8/21
Time: 7:30 PM ET
Arena: FTX Arena – Miami, FL
Channel: ESPN

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Milwaukee Bucks Starting Lineup

PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Pat Connaughton
SF: Khris Middleton
PF: Bobby Portis
C: Giannis Antetokounmpo

Milwaukee Bucks Analysis

Milwaukee’s start to the season has been anything but stable. The Bucks lost Jrue Holiday for a period of time, as well as Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, who is still out due to a back injury. The timetable for his return is very uncertain, but the Bucks were able to bring in veteran DeMarcus Cousins to fill some of those minutes. Luckily, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in his best form this season, putting up another MVP caliber season with 27.6 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. While it is unlikely he will win MVP over Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, or Nikola Jokic this season, he will still be one of the biggest impact players in the league for the foreseeable future. Since the Bucks are back in contention as the best team in the Eastern Conference, they should handle games like this with ease, especially since everyone except Brook Lopez is healthy. It will also be interesting to see if DeMarcus Cousins has a long-lasting impact on this squad for the rest of the 2021-22 NBA season.

Miami Heat Starting Lineup

PG: Kyle Lowry
SG: Tyler Herro
SF: P.J. Tucker
PF: Duncan Robinson
C: Dewayne Dedmon

Miami Heat Analysis

Miami is sitting at the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference at the moment, which is about where it should be. The Heat have suffered a few injuries that have slowed down their hot start to the 2021-22 NBA season. Bam Adebayo will be out with a torn UCL in his thumb for the foreseeable future. At the same time, Jimmy Butler was just able to return from an injury and then suffered another injury, this time to his tailbone. Additionally, Markieff Morris has missed some games with a neck injury. The Heat are an incredibly tough team to beat when they are fully healthy. Still, until Butler and Adebayo return to full health, they will be beatable, especially against a surging team like the Milwaukee Bucks, who can do absolutely no wrong.

Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat Daily Fantasy Picks

It has not been nearly as effective of a season as Jrue Holiday is accustomed to having; however, he has been fantastic in the past seven games and looks like he is playing back to normal. On the season, Holiday is averaging merely 15.5 points per game along with 6.2 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Holiday has averaged 19.1 points, 7.3 assists, and six rebounds per game in the past seven games on 52.8% from the field and 41.2% from deep. The Bucks have won six of the past seven games during this period of time, and it is clear that Holiday’s increased efficiency and performance is a major reason why this has been the case.
Another benefit of having Holiday in your DFS lineup is that he is the tertiary scoring option on this Bucks team and, therefore, can often be undervalued for particular matchups. Now that he is playing back at his potential, he is a clear-cut starting option.

Tyler Herro looks to be one of the early-season favorites for the Most Improved Player of the Year for the 2021-22 NBA season. Herro averages 21.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on just shy of 45% from the field and 40% from three. With Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler out for this matchup, and several others, Herro remains a terrific DFS play. He is the leading scorer for the Heat and will be relied upon heavily in this matchup to try and keep up with the Milwaukee Bucks. Expect a big game from Herro in this one.