Milwaukee Bucks: Fixing self-inflicted errors crucial for Game 2 matchup

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, with no shortage of self-induced mistakes.

Heading into Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals against the Miami Heat, the Milwaukee Bucks knew they would have their hands full. Miami’s ability to exploit Milwaukee’s defense with the 3-ball, along with multiple bodies to throw at Giannis Antetokounmpo, headlined the disadvantages for the Bucks.

Still, much of their Games 1 woes fell on their own shoulders.

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First and foremost, credit to Jimmy Butler, who paved the way for Miami with a playoff career-high 40 points in their 115-104 win over Milwaukee.

Taking a look at the box score, there are plenty of issues the Bucks need to address internally, though.

Turnovers, Free-throw Shooting, and Foul Trouble

The most prominent issue from Game 1 was undoubtedly the excessive amount of turnovers Milwaukee produced time and time again. When the final buzzer sounded, the Bucks logged 19 total turnovers, which led to an inexcusable 28 points for the Heat. Sloppy passes and poor decision-making were on full display throughout the game on Monday, and Milwaukee will have to work on better ball control to tame this turnover frenzy.

Miami had their turnover issues as well, finishing with 16 of their own. However, Milwaukee did not maximize this opportunity as blatantly as their opponent did, as they scored only 10 points from those turnovers. Taking advantage of those breakaways will be a key component for the Bucks moving forward.

Next was their abysmal free-throw shooting, which was just heart-rending to watch. Milwaukee finished the night shooting 14-for-26 from the charity stripe, eight of those misses coming solely from Giannis Antetokounmpo’s poor 4-for-12 effort. Missing 12 free-throws in a game that the Bucks lost by 11 points undoubtedly stings, and will continue to haunt Milwaukee in the remainder of this series moving forward if they cannot get their act together from the line.

On Miami’s side of the free-throw spectrum, Milwaukee’s constant fouling allowed them to feast from the line, capitalizing on 25-of-27 attempts, 13 of those attempts coming from Jimmy Butler himself. These fouling issues were a recurring issue throughout the game, with Giannis and Brook Lopez watching from the sidelines periodically as a result.

The odds of Milwaukee winning a game where they connect on 53.8 percent of their free-throw attempts compared to the opponents 92.6 percent are slim to none. For Game 2 and beyond, the Bucks need to focus on keeping their opponents off the line while taking advantage of the opportunity when they get a chance to put a couple of easy points on the board.

Interior Play and Rotational Issues

Milwaukee’s interior defense and offense were a critical part of their success in the regular season, but the Miami Heat embarrassed the Bucks in Game 1 in both of those aspects.

Offensively, Milwaukee finished ninth in the league in points in the paint this season, coming in at 49.3 points per game. In their loss to the Heat, they scored a measly 24 points, their lowest total of the season.

Defensively, the Bucks were not much better, giving up 42 points in the paint to Miami, despite possessing the top-ranked interior defense on paper throughout the regular-season. For a team that is so reliant on their play down low, Milwaukee needs to step it up on both ends of the floor in that area for the next game.

Lastly, head coach Mike Budenholzer is still seemingly trying to decipher which lineups work best on the court, which led to some head-scratching moments in Game 1. Aside from a brief Frank Mason III sighting early on, the most notable occurrence being Pat Connaughton getting 25 minutes on the night as a reserve, one more minute than Milwaukee’s starting guard Wesley Matthews.

Matthews, one of Milwaukee’s top-notch defenders, spent the final five minutes watching from the bench as Jimmy Butler scored 11 of his 40 points to put the game away. The choice was an odd and unfavorable decision that ultimately backfired on Budenholzer in those final few minutes.

As a whole, the Milwaukee Bucks look like a mess right now. Only time will tell, but Milwaukee has no shortage of issues to address if they want to come out of this series.

To not end things on such a sour note, although that would be entirely justifiable, there are some positive takeaways from Game 1, despite its ugly conclusion. One of them being Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez, who both clocked in impressive efforts on the night, finishing with 28 and 24 points, respectively. The Milwaukee Bucks will undoubtedly need to clean up their act as a vital Game 2 kicks off on Wednesday, though.