Fresh off an overtime win against the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, the Miami Heat and Jimmy Butler host the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday in an NBA Cup clash.

At 2-0 in Group Play, the Bucks have the lead in East Group B, but Miami could cut into that with a victory on Tuesday. 

The Heat and Bucks both got off to slow starts in the 2024-25 season, but Milwaukee has turned things around as of late, especially with Damian Lillard returning from concussion protocol.

So, how should we bet on this NBA Cup clash?

Here’s a breakdown of the latest odds, players to consider in the prop market and my prediction for this matchup. 

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook.

Spread

Moneyline

Total

Bucks Injury Report

Heat Injury Report

Milwaukee Bucks Prop Bet

Damian Lillard is struggling shooting the 3-ball right now, hitting UNDER 3.5 shots from beyond the arc in six straight games. Over that six-game stretch, Dame is shooting just 9-for-45 from beyond the arc, and he’s lowered his season-long 3-point percentage to 32.0 percent.

Miami is allowing opponents to shoot just 35.4 percent from beyond the arc this season and ranks 11th in the NBA in defensive rating. 

Miami Heat Prop Bet

Jimmy Butler has been on fire since returning from an ankle injury, scoring 30 and 33 points in his last two games. 

On top of that, Butler had 10 rebounds and five assists in the first matchup and nine rebounds and six assists in the second. So, Butler has 45 and 48 PRA in his last two contests.

Now, he’s taking on a Milwaukee team that he’s dominated, averaging 33.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists in his last five games against them. Butler should be in line for a big game – if he remains aggressive scoring the ball – on Tuesday. 

Since losing to the Boston Celtics on Nov. 10, the Bucks have won six of their last seven games, with their lone loss coming by one point to the Charlotte Hornets. 

Giannis Antetokounmpo is playing at an MVP level this season, and the Bucks have knocked off some good teams – Indiana and Houston – amidst this stretch to get back to 8-9 on the season.

Miami is a hard team to figure out right now, going 7-7 against the spread and 7-7 straight up, and it didn’t have Terry Rozier due to a foot injury on Sunday and still beat Dallas. 

However, the Heat are outside the top 10 in the NBA in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating entering this matchup. 

The Bucks, on the other hand, have the fifth-best net rating in the NBA over their last seven games, pushing them just behind Miami in net rating on the season. 

I wouldn’t be shocked to see Milwaukee pull off the upset here, especially since a win would nearly clinch a spot in the knockout stage of the NBA Cup. 

Pick: Bucks +2.5 (-110)

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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Find Peter Dewey’s NBA betting record here (futures included). You can also follow my daily plays on  BetStamp here.