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Bucks Vs. Heat Game Three
So far, the first round playoff series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat has been a tug of war, with each tug getting just a little bit harder from both ends. Game one saw Miami initiate things in the wake of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lower back injury. Wednesday night’s game two was a bigger pull from Milwaukee, who responded with a commanding 138-122 victory at Fiserv Forum. Saturday night was the biggest test for Milwaukee yet, travelling to Miami for the first road game of the series. Miami tugged hardest yet.
Just as a 24-2 run was the difference maker in the second quarter of game two, a 19-0 run in Miami’s favor on Sunday night created the separation that the Heat needed. Their run, however, came in the first quarter of the game, shutting the Bucks down for what felt like forever at the start of the game. The Heat would extend their lead to as high as 29 points, with former Marquette standout Jimmy Butler leading the way for Miami. Butler had 17 points alone in the first quarter, and finished with 30. He likely would have had more, had he not gone down with his own back injury in the third quarter. He went to the locker room and would not return, with his status for game four in Miami on Monday night in question. Miami also lost Victor Oladipo to what looked like a gruesome knee injury underneath the basket in the second half that had the Heat players grimacing and near tears. His status for the rest of the series is in question, with the Heat already also losing Tyler Herro in game one due to a broken hand.
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Milwaukee responded in the second quarter, beginning to hit three-pointers from all over the floor, similar to Wednesday night’s resounding win. While they cut the margin down to 13 points at halftime, it was never enough to catch Miami, who came out of the gate in the second half ready to secure the victory. The Heat held a double-digit lead for the entirety of the second half, and there was really no question as to who was going to take the series lead. Miami won by a margin of 22, with a 121-99 final.
For Milwaukee, this is effectively the third game without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who went down in the first half of game one’s loss at Fiserv Forum. The decision to continue his rest for a lower back contusion has now put the Bucks in a pivotal situation, with the possibility of going down 3-1 in a best-of-seven series now in play on Monday night. Milwaukee could afford to rest Giannis on Saturday, but he’ll need to play on Monday and beyond if the Bucks are going to make it out of the first round. Milwaukee now needs to win at least one game in Miami to take the series, something they haven’t done all season for various reasons. While the Bucks may have been thinking long-term by resting Antetokounmpo, the possibility of a long-term anything is now in question if they lose again on Monday night.
What now has become a heightened game four tips off on Monday night from Miami at 6:30 p.m., broadcast nationally on TNT. An eight-seed has only eliminated the top seed five times since 1984, and Milwaukee will need some help in the form of a 6’11” perennial MVP candidate to avoid embarrassment. After that, the series returns to Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night, and hopefully back to Miami on Friday.
