Bucks at Heat
THE STORY: The Miami Heat might just be better without Dwyane Wade. They're now 6-0 this season without him in the lineup. LeBron James has been carrying the team during its recent three-game winning streak and is averaging 31.8 points over his last four games. "We looked at this as a huge week, a huge opportunity for us to get on a roll," James said. The Heat will look to continue that roll when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday. For their part, the Bucks recorded their first road victory of the season in New York on Friday night. Brandon Jennings set new season highs with 36 points and 15 field goals, but he hasn't played his best against the Heat. Jennings is averaging 10.5 points in six career games, his second-worst lifetime average versus any opponent. He averages 9.8 against Atlanta.
TV: 6 p.m. ET, FSN-Wisconsin (Milwaukee), SunSports (Miami)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (5-9): It'll be interesting to see how head coach Scott Skiles deals with Stephen Jackson on Sunday. The guard was suspended by Skiles for missing the team's shootaround prior to Friday's game with the Knicks. He was also benched in the second half of Milwaukee's previous game versus Denver for poor play. Skiles isn't shy about using his bench. For five games in a row, at least one reserve player has scored 10 or more points for the Bucks.
ABOUT THE HEAT (10-4): The Heat are averaging a league-best 107 points per game, nearly 15 points higher than the Bucks. It'll be interesting to see if Miami can keep up the tempo on the second night of a back-to-back, but it shouldn't matter if the offense falters. Miami has blocked at least one shot in a franchise-record 306 consecutive games. On Saturday against the 76ers, the Heat matched a season high with 10 shots.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Bucks are 4-1 when they score 100 or more points this season.
2. The Bucks and Heat meet for the first of three matchups. Last season, Miami won three of the four games in the series.
3. The Heat are 53-31 all-time versus the Bucks.