Photo Credit: Allen Halas
Milwaukee Bucks vs. Miami Heat
While there was concern over the status of Giannis Antetokounmpo since suffering a lower back contusion in game one of the Eastern Conference playoffs, the Milwaukee Bucks proved that they can get along just fine with their other stars on Wednesday night. A Fiserv Forum crowd that was somewhat reserved at tipoff would be rocking by the end of the night, thanks to a barrage of offense from the Bucks to even the playoff series at one game apiece.
The crowd wasn’t necessarily quiet in the early going, but the opening minutes saw Miami and Milwaukee trade baskets, and there was certainly some concern that Wednesday night’s game could be a repeat of Sunday night’s loss, which lacked intensity once the Bucks lost their top star. Things picked up quickly in the first quarter, though, when unofficial people’s champion of the Bucks Bobby Portis began jawing with Miami’s Bam Adebayo in an animated fashion. While Portis was likely fired up about something in the course of the game, he also knew what he was doing, getting Fiserv Forum to come alive after picking up a technical foul for his actions. The long-term effect of the foul outweighed the points given up, though, as the near sold-out crowd chanted “Bobby” just about any time he made a shot, or when he later stole the ball for a transition dunk. He can simply do no wrong in Milwaukee.
A massive second quarter was the turning point for the game, with Milwaukee never looking back after going on a 24-2 run in just over three minutes. A 46-point second quarter was the difference for the Bucks, anchored by lights-out shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Milwaukee made 25 three-pointers in game two, tying an NBA playoff record and setting a new franchise record in the process. Four of Milwaukee’s starters, as well as Pat Connaughton off the bench had multiple threes, and they were augmented by Brook Lopez having his way with Miami in the paint, scoring 25 points of his own. The Bucks went into the halftime break up 26 points, and would extend that margin to as high as 34 at one point in the third quarter.
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By the fourth quarter, Miami had essentially conceded, resting their starters. Milwaukee did not. The Heat bench was able to cut the margin down in the fourth quarter, but the Bucks kept most of their main rotation of players going, effectively sending a message to the Heat that game one was merely an anomaly. With the hopeful addition of Giannis Antetokounmpo back to the lineup on Saturday, Milwaukee stands a very good chance of going into Miami and picking up at least one more victory.
Wednesday night’s game was important. While the Bucks have won games without Giannis this season (11, to be exact) they needed to prove to themselves that they could do it when the importance was heightened. An offensive rout only reinforced the depth that Milwaukee has available, and that’s certainly a big component of a championship team.
The Bucks head to Miami for the next two games of the series, beginning with a Saturday night tip at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN. Giannis was listed as doubtful initially for Wednesday night’s contest, and upgraded to questionable in the hours leading up to the game. Ultimately, resting him ended up being the right decision, and Milwaukee was able to roll over the eight seed to even the series.
