Photo via Twitter / @MiamiHeat
When the reigning MVP of the league is off, he’s off. Monday night, that was definitely the case, as the Milwaukee Bucks watched a double-digit lead slip away from them in Game One of the Eastern Conference semifinals. What was a relatively close game for the majority of the night swung in Milwaukee’s direction after plenty of offensive fireworks in the opening quarter. Things fizzled out from there as the Bucks fell to the Heat, 104-115.
For Milwaukee, the pieces once again didn’t seem to fall into place. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged an unreal 30 points per game in the Bucks’ opening round series with Orlando, managed to make an 18-point performance look shaky. The stats will show that he was just one assist away from recording a triple-double, but it certainly didn’t look like it on the floor Monday. He made six baskets on twelve attempts, and went an abysmal 4-12 from the free throw line. One free throw notably airballed, and three more barely hit the front of the rim. It was that kind of night.
If there was a silver lining for the Bucks, however, it was that Khris Middleton appeared to be back in form, stringing together his second 20-plus point performance. 21 of his 28 points came in the first half, as he and Brook Lopez kept things largely afloat for Milwaukee early on. This series is likely going to feature a lot of tight games, and the Bucks will need both to contribute in the games ahead.
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Just about everyone else with a Milwaukee connection who were not wearing Bucks jerseys had a great night, though. Former Marquette star Jimmy Butler recorded a career playoff-high 40 points, dissecting the Bucks’ defense along the way. The Heat focused their offense around driving the ball towards Giannis, which subsequently put him in foul trouble early on. That allowed Butler to work the ball inside for the rest of the game. Former Whitnall Falcon Tyler Herro also led Miami’s bench scoring with 11 points for the Heat, including three three-pointers at clutch moments.
Much like the first game of their series with the Orlando Magic, the Bucks were once again reminded that they are, in fact, in the NBA Playoffs on Monday. The Heat have a deep team, and more rest between series than Milwaukee, both of which worked in their favor. The Bucks will once again start a series from behind.
You can watch the Bucks look to even the series up with Miami on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m., with coverage on ESPN.
