On Saturday, two teams vying for playoff spots in the Eastern Conference will clash when the Milwaukee Bucks play against the hosting Miami Heat.
The Bucks (42-34) enter having secured an exciting 126-113 comeback win in Philadelphia on Thursday, following two consecutive victories after enduring four straight defeats.
They accomplished this largely due to Giannis Antetokounmpo's impressive performance of 35 points, 20 assists, and 17 rebounds — marking the first instance in NBA history where such statistics were recorded in a single game.
The 20 assists were also a new career high for Antetokounmpo. Bucks assistant head coach Darvin Ham, who filled in for the ill Doc Rivers towards the end of the first half on Thursday, discussed his role as the primary playmaker.
Every outstanding player who has been part of this league also elevates those playing alongside them," Ham stated. "This is what he needs to do until Damian Lillard returns. In our team, he must take charge and create opportunities.
As reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Bucks believe Damian Lillard might be able to resume basketball-related actions within 7 to 10 days. Bobby Portis (who is serving a suspension) will conclude his last two games over the weekend and then come back on Tuesday, whereas Jericho Sims (with a thumb injury) continues to sit out.
The Miami team (35-42) entered the game following a tough home defeat on Thursday when Ja Morant hit a last-second shot, resulting in a 110-108 win for Memphis.
Even though they suffered a hard defeat, head coach Erik Spoelstra expressed some positivity regarding the progress of his squad, which had secured six straight victories before that setback.
We’re turning into quite a resilient squad," Spoelstra stated. "About three weeks ago, we likely would have lost by over ten points during the second game of a back-to-back. Now, despite staying in place, our performance has significantly improved.
Regarding injuries, Miami lacked depth during their match against Memphis due to missing players like Terry Rozier (who had an illness), Kevin Love (for personal reasons), Nikola Jovic (due to a hand issue), and Andrew Wiggins (with a hamstring problem). While Kevin Love, Nikola Jovic, and Andrew Wiggins won’t play in Saturday’s game, Terry Rozier is expected to be ready for action.
Tyler Herro (right thigh) and Haywood Highsmith (left Achilles) are both listed as questionable.
Hello, who led Miami with 35 points on Thursday, leads the Heat averaging 23.9 points and 5.6 assists per game. Bam Adebayo tops the team with 9.6 rebounds and 1.2 steals each night.
Antetokounmpo scores an average of 30.4 points and grabs 11.9 rebounds with the Milwaukee team. In the seven matches since Lillard’s present absence due to injury, Antetokounmpo has been dishing out 7.9 assists per contest.
Milwaukee aims for a four-game season sweep since they have won the previous encounters with scores of 106-103, 125-96, and 120-113 respectively.
On February 23rd during the game in Milwaukee, Herro excelled with 40 points, followed closely by Adebayo who notched 24 points and Andrew Wiggins contributing 20 points; however, the Heat received only 12 points from their substitutes. Leading for Milwaukee was Lillard with an impressive 28 points along with eight assists, complemented by Antetokounmpo’s double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds.
Whenever Miami comes out victorious, they do so thanks to their strong defense. In games where they win, they have the fourth-best defensive rating in the league at 104.3 points allowed per game. For the entire season, however, this drops slightly to tenth place with an average of 112.1 points conceded per game. Meanwhile, Milwaukee has a similar defensive standing as Miami, ranking right after them with a defensive rating of 112.8. However, when it comes to offense, Milwaukee significantly outperforms them with a score of 114.7.
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