Game 1 of this series, in which the Miami Heat stunned the Milwaukee Bucks with a 130-117 win, featured a costly injury on both teams. The Bucks lost Giannis Antetokounmpo to a back contusion just 10 minutes into the game. He's currently listed as questionable for Game 2, but he suffered no structural damage. For the Heat, they lost starting guard Tyler Herro to a broken hand, an injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Losing Giannis is obviously far more monumental, and as a result, it cost the Bucks a Game 1 win.
Looking ahead to Game 2, if Antetokounmpo is unavailable the Bucks will need to figure out how to slow down Jimmy Butler, who put up 35 points. For the Heat, figuring out who is going to fill Herro's spot in the starting lineup will be important to watch.
In preparation for Game 2, here's everything you need to know about this matchup.
(1) Milwaukee Bucks vs. (8) Miami Heat
- Date: Wednesday, April 19 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
- Location: Fiserv Forum -- Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- TV channel: NBATV
- Odds: Bucks -6.5; O/U 219 (via Caesars Sportsbook)
Storylines
Bucks: In addition to not having Giannis for the majority of this game, another factor in Milwaukee's loss was its poor 3-point shooting. This is a team that ranked fourth in the league in 3-point attempts per game (40.3) and ranked 10th overall in 3-point percentage (36.8%). So it's pretty eyebrow-raising to see that they shot just 24.4% from deep in Game 1. Some of that was due to great perimeter defense from the Heat, and great late closeouts to shooters, but the Bucks also just missed a ton of great looks. Given how many 3s this team takes, they likely won't shoot that poorly again, and to be honest, if Giannis isn't playing in Game 2 the Bucks can't afford to shoot that badly again.
Heat: With Herro out, attention turns to who Erik Spoelstra slides into that starting spot. The good news is the Heat have two solid options to turn to for the role. They could put Kevin Love in the starting lineup after he gave Miami an incredibly productive 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench. There's Caleb Martin, who racked up 15 points in Game 1, and started in 49 games this season for Miami before Spoelstra moved him to the bench after the All-Star break. However, moving one of them into the starting lineup will inevitably shorten Miami's bench even further. With Kyle Lowry questionable for Game 2 with a knee injury, that leaves either Love or Martin coming off the bench and Duncan Robinson who got six minutes of playing time in Game 1, as the only bench players the Heat really trust. Victor Oladipo could get an opportunity after not playing at all in Game 1, but his playing time has been inconsistent this season.
Prediction
This game really hinges on Giannis' availability, but I still like the Bucks to rebound from the poor shooting in Game 1 to even up the series. I also think that the Herro injury really hurts the Heat because of their lack of depth. The pick: Bucks -6.5
