Bucks, Heat collide in Brew City

(SportsNetwork.com) - A pair of playoff hopefuls collide in Brew City Tuesday night, as the Milwaukee Bucks host the Miami Heat at the Bradley Center.

Milwaukee is sixth in the Eastern Conference standings and Miami is right behind at 1 1/2 games off the pace.

The Bucks are struggling at the moment with six straight losses and opened a four-game homestand with Sunday's 108-90 defeat to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Michael Carter-Williams led the way with 19 points, but committed six turnovers for the Bucks. Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo each totaled 15 in defeat.

"For any team, not just LeBron (James), when you give those guys free opportunities like that ... they're going to make you pay for it and they did," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said.

Milwaukee is 19-14 at home and will also host Indiana and Golden State.

The Heat opened a four-game road trip with Sunday's 93-75 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Miami had its three-game winning streak halted and trailed for the final three quarters. The Heat shot just 39.5 percent and were led by Hassan Whiteside's 13 points. Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and Mario Chalmers each contributed 12.

"They played like it was a playoff game," said Dragic. "We played like it was a regular season game."

The Heat are 15-19 on the road and will also visit Boston and Atlanta on the trek. They have lost four in a row as the visitor.

Miami is 0-3 against Milwaukee this season and had won the previous nine meetings between the teams.