Heat star Jimmy Butler was forced out of the Christmas Day game against the Pelicans, leaving the contest with an ankle injury in the second half. This injury forced him to miss Tuesday’s 144-97 loss against Milwaukee — the same Bucks team that Miami knocked off in the 2020 NBA Playoffs in the Orlando/Disney Bubble. The absence of Butler was more than felt and they hope to get him back soon: mainly because of their team defense.
The Heat allowed an NBA record 29 made threes in a game by the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks made 29 out of 51 which is good for 57%. If you give up this many threes to a team expect to lose and lose BIG.
The Heat are working on team chemistry and Erik Spoelstra is working on what his rotations will be. The Heat have the luxury of having a deep roster this year and you can expect Spoelstra to tinker with and tweak the starting lineup and his roster throughout the season. Spoelstra doesn’t seem worried about the Bucks beating the Heat by 47 points. Specifically, because the Miami Heat beat them in the playoffs last season.
“It looked like they had been thinking about this game for 80 days,” the coach said.
Spoelstra said this after the loss last night. However, surely it’s just a reaction to the loss. Expect the Heat to come out stronger tonight in the second game of the two-game series with the Bucks. The game can be seen at 7:30 pm Eastern on NBA TV.
More From Miami
- Tyler Herro was a bright for Miami in their big loss vs. Milwaukee. Herro scored 23 points and also dished out 7 assists. The Heat will need a big game from Herro in tonight’s back to back against Milwaukee if they hope to avenge last night’s loss
- Bam Adebayo needs to step it up. Adebayo finished the loss against Milwaukee with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. The Heat will need a much bigger performance from Bam if they hope to neutralize the Bucks and get the victory.
- Goran Dragic only played 9 minutes against Milwaukee last night. Dragic will need more playing time if the Heat are to avenge their loss in tonight’s back to back. 2 points and 1 assist is poor production. Dragic is a key piece to the Heat’s success and should see his production increase next game.
