Bucks Zone

GAME DAY PREVIEW AND INJURY REPORT: The well-rested Milwaukee Bucks begin 1st round series with the Miami Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks are well-rested going into Game 1.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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After a short respite, it’s back to business for the Milwaukee Bucks as they begin their first-round playoffs with the Miami Heat on Sunday afternoon.

The Bucks have a home-court advantage in the best-of-seven series, a benefit they earned after emerging as the overall top seed by virtue of their NBA-best 58-24 regular season record.

Another reward that the Bucks got as a top seed is their break. Milwaukee has not played since April 9th, and the weeklong rest allowed their banged-up personnel to take a much-needed breather.

Welcomed break

The biggest beneficiary of the break were the Bucks’ main men, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. The two missed the team’s final two regular-season games due to knee soreness.

In contrast, the Heat had to go through two grueling matches in the play-in before they earned the right to play the Bucks.

While Milwaukee is well-rested entering Game 1, Miami has just played on Friday night, scoring a 102-91 win over the Chicago Bulls to clinch the final playoff seat in the Eastern Conference.

Before playing the Bulls, the Heat also played the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday night. Miami lost the game, 116-105, which sent them to a sudden-death duel with Chicago.

Milwaukee and Miami split their regular season series. Milwaukee is a solid 32-9 home in the regular season, while Miami went 17-24 in away games. The Heat finished the season with a 44-38 record.

Injury report

It seems like the break served the Bucks well, as they have no names on their injury list ahead of Game 1 of the 2023 playoffs.

On the other side, Nikola Jovic is listed as doubtful for the Heat.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.