The Milwaukee Bucks are set to face the Miami Heat for the second straight night after blowing them out 144-97 in the previous game. They made the most of Jimmy Butler's absence and finally got the better of their Eastern Conference rivals.
The Milwaukee Bucks were scorching hot from downtown on Tuesday, knocking down 29 three-pointers to set an NBA record. Interestingly, Giannis Antetokounmpo didn't even have much on impact while the rest of the four starters went 18-of-27 from beyond the arc.
Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat: Combined starting lineup
Both the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat are brimming with talented players. We saw some of them shine last night while others, primarily from Miami, didn't rise to the occasion. Having said that, the expected return of Jimmy Butler is going to help some of the Heat players get back to their best. On that note, let us look at the combined starting lineup from both these units.
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Point Guard - Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
Jrue Holiday has blown hot and cold in his early days with the Milwaukee Bucks but had an impeccable outing against the Miami Heat last night. He managed 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting from downtown and did a good job in getting his teammates involved with subtle ball movement.
Holiday is currently averaging 17.3 points on 59.2% shooting from the field. He's also managing 5.3 assists to go with his 1.8 steals per game.
Shooting Guard - Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat)
An ankle injury suffered against the New Orleans Pelicans kept Jimmy Butler out of Miami Heat's game last night but he's expected to return for the back-to-back.
It's been a slow start for Butler who's only averaging 11.5 points per game to start the season. Butler is the main facilitator for his side and averaged six assists through two games.
The Miami Heat play with that extra bit of energy with him on the court and they'll need all of that to respond well after a humiliating loss against the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Small Forward - Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Khris Middleton has been the Milwaukee Bucks' most influential player this season. He set the tone with his three-point shooting and defense against the Miami Heat last night. He ended with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting.
Middleton is leading the Milwaukee Bucks in scoring with 26.3 points per game on 57.6% from the field. He's yet to miss a free-throw this season as well. Middleton will be in line for an All-NBA selection if he can keep this up for the rest of the campaign.
Power Forward - Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
The arrival of Jrue Holiday has taken much pressure off Giannis Antetokounmpo who hasn't had to force the issue as often. This was evident by the nature of the blowout win the Milwaukee Bucks managed despite Giannis scoring just nine points against the Miami Heat last night.
The Greek Freak's numbers are down from last year with him averaging 21.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game so far. This doesn't mean that he cannot explode if need be. He's still as impeccable while protecting the basket and could be in the running for Defensive Player of the Year honors again.
Center - Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
Bam Adebayo is yet to showcase the passing range that he's so well known for. With an average of five turnovers per game, he's also not taking good care of the possession. But just like Giannis, Adebayo too can flick a switch if need be.
He's among the best defenders on the Miami Heat and averaging 18 points on 65.6% accuracy from the field to go with his seven rebounds per game. He managed 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting the other night but will be hoping to have a bigger impact in the second game.
Also read: NBA Power Rankings - Top 10 teams heading into Week 2 of 2020-21 season
Miami Heat Nation! You can check out the latest Miami Heat Schedule and dive into the Heat Depth Chart for NBA Season 2024-25.