Despite the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo who still suffers from his back, the Bucks showed a completely different face than in Game 1. Like Brook Lopez’s 14 points, they attacked the Heat’s racquet aggressively to take the commands of the encounter (35-28).
Despite Jimmy Butler’s 15 points in the first half, the Heat took on water before the break. The Bucks’ dominance near the circle forced Miami’s defense to overcompensate, giving open shot after open shot to Mike Budenholzer’s men. The Holiday – Middleton – Ingles – Connaughton quartet compiled a 9 of 12 from 3-pointers in the second quarter to take a 32-point lead (75-43)!
Despite a 7-0 Miami to start the second half, the Bucks again scored 9 award-winning shots in the third quarter to continue their display and tie the series logically, before taking the direction of Florida this weekend. end.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
– Bucks records. 81 points (franchise record in the playoffs) at 60% success, including 12/21 from 3-pointers, 19 assists, only 3 lost balls, and an outrageous domination in the racket. Frustrated with their Game 1 performance, the Bucks put things right in Game 2. Jrue Holiday’s teammates continued their momentum after halftime. They were 21/35 after three quarters, and finished the game with 25 3-pointers scored, tying the NBA record for a playoff game.
– Miami returns to earth. At 60% 3-point success in Game 1, the Heat are back to being the team they were in the regular season with average 3-point shooting frequency and mediocre skill. Like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, Miami is one of the most shot-taking teams from mid-range in the NBA. The Bucks do not hesitate to light the fuse from afar, which makes the equation complicated for the Floridians, even insoluble if their opponents keep their hands warm. The Heat, however, found the address in the “garbage time”.
– Giannis Antetokounmpo back for Game 3? Mike Budenholzer had expressed optimism that his star would return for Game 2, but the Greek didn’t even try to warm up. His lower back injury is reportedly not serious but the pain is still present, forcing him to forfeit. With two days off before Game 3, it would be surprising not to see the ‘Greek Freak’ back on the court to try to regain the advantage of the ground lost in the first game.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Jrue Holiday. In the absence of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the point guard set the tone for his team from the start of the match. He finished with 24 points, 11 assists and 5 rebounds.
✅ Brook Lopez. Much more aggressive than in Game 1, the Bucks pivot made himself available near the circle in the first quarter, scoring 14 of his 25 points there, while being intractable in defense.
✅ Joe Ingles – Pat Connaughton. The two players scored 17 and 22 points respectively, at 11/16 from 3-point range. Out of Mike Budenholzer’s rotation for a while, Pat Connaughton took advantage of Wes Matthews’ package to seize his chance.
✅ Jimmy Butler. As in the first match, he was effective. He tried to keep his team in the game, scoring 15 of their 25 points in the first half, but he couldn’t cope with Milwaukee’s display.
⛔ Duncan Robinson – Max Strus – Kevin Love. Propelled holder in the absence of Tyler Herro, Duncan Robinson was silent for three quarters and targeted in defense. Max Strus and Kevin Love didn’t do much better and couldn’t continue after a great first game. The three players totaled 9 points at 1/7 on shots before garbage time. Duncan Robinson still scored 14 points in the last quarter.
THE FOLLOWING
Game 3 in Miami, on the night of Saturday to Sunday (1h30).
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.
