In the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo for the second game in a row, Miami did not miss its chance to return to 2-1 in its series against Milwaukee. The Floridians managed to take the best by relying first on an unstoppable Jimmy Butler, author of 17 points in the first quarter!
Under his leadership, the Heat managed to pass an improbable 19-0 between the end of the first and the start of the second act to lead 34-21. But the threat of the Bucks hovered until halftime above the Kaseya Center, especially after the series of 3-point baskets signed by Joe Ingles, Bobby Portis, Khris Middleton twice and Pat Connaughton (58- 46).
The locals then showed their character when Kevin Love and Caleb Martin planted the 11e and 12e 3-point baskets from the Heat to complete the first half (66-53), then passing a 9-2 on the way back from the locker room thanks to Jimmy Butler, Max Strus and Caleb Martin to take the lead (81- 62).
Victim of a big fall and suffering from the back, Jimmy Butler gritted his teeth to plant a 3-point then a left-handed lay-up before going out for treatment.
At +15 at the start of the last act, Miami had the mission of doing what was necessary to avoid an end to the game under pressure. The mission was accomplished without worry thanks to the contribution of Duncan Robinson to return to +20 (104-84) then of the Oladipo-Adebayo pair, until Victor Oladipo in turn came out on a knee injury predicting the worst. The Floridians, however, ensured until the end to win 121-99 and regain the advantage in the series.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– The start of the Floridians. Difficult to designate which was the most impressive between the 17 points scored by a Jimmy Butler on fire in the first quarter, 3/3 away, the improbable 19-0 conceded by the Bucks or the 12 baskets at 3 -points scored in response to the 25 slammed by Milwaukee in Game 2. In any case, the locals did not wait to take their opponent by the throat and put themselves in a favorable position, which they held until the end.
– Happy Birthday Duncan Robinson! With Tyler Herro’s broken hand, Erik Spoelstra must find other weapons at post 2 to fuel his attack. With Max Strus and Victor Oladipo, the Heat coach was also able to count on Duncan Robinson who was up to it for the evening of his 29th birthday. The sniper started the game at 3/3 from 3-pointers before scoring a 4e to start the fourth quarter, then add a free throw and a lay-up to put his team at +20 with less than 9 minutes remaining. A great performance from him!
– Jimmy Butler has a good back. Like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jimmy Butler was the victim of a big fall that caused him a lot of back pain. The pain was apparently less severe since after a brief stint in the locker room, the winger returned to the bench surrounded by a support scarf around his waist, ready to return to play! Asked during the match, Erik Spoelstra did not seem more worried than that, knowing the mind of his leader! The end of the game in favor of Miami, however, allowed him to rest it during the entire 4e quarter.
– The Heat are holding their breath for Victor Oladipo. The Florida victory was tarnished by a sad fact of play at the very end of the game. As he drove off, Victor Oladipo slipped and visibly twisted his left knee. Once on the ground, he held his left knee and took a long time to get up and be accompanied to the locker room to the cheers of the crowd. We obviously fear the worst on the side of Miami given the background of the back.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jimmy Butler. Boosted in the first quarter, he put his team on the right track by using the 3-point shot, the weapon that had allowed the Bucks to win in Game 2. He then was a constant threat until on his premature exit to finish on 30 points in 28 minutes!
✅ Duncan Robinson. Without a doubt his best game of the season when the Heat needed it. He found his shot and also helped to widen and maintain the gap throughout the meeting.
⛔ Jrue Holiday. The leader scored 10 of his team’s first 14 points in the space of five minutes before disappearing a bit from traffic to finish on 19 points at 8/18 shooting and 5 loose balls. In the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee probably expected more from him, his impact in defense (his strong point) having also been undermined by the offensive control of the Heat in this match.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 4 in Miami on the night of Monday to Tuesday (1h30).
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots made / Shots attempted; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D= defensive rebound; T = Total Bounces; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost bullets; Ct: Counters; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Points = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
