Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 122-108 win over Miami Heat

Brook Lopez and co. dominate inside in Milwaukee Bucks’ win over Heat

After dominating the paint in their 142-133 win over the Indiana Pacers on Thursday, the Bucks kept that same aggressive approach down low against the Heat.

Brook Lopez was yet again a catalyst in this aggressiveness by finishing with 18 points on a nearly flawless 9-for-10 shooting night. Surprisingly enough, all of the big man’s shot attempts on the night came from inside the arc as he continues turning back the clock offensively with a newfound focus of scoring the ball more inside.

While Lopez’s shooting from distance is greatly appreciated for this team, these highly efficient outings when he is working closer to the basket have been welcoming. Milwaukee’s man in the middle finished with a team-high 12 points in the paint against the Heat while receiving some support from some fellow starters. Milwaukee’s leading trio of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, and Jrue Holiday scored 10 points apiece in the painted area to add an extra 30 to the team total in the contest.

With Bobby Portis chipping in eight more paint points off the bench, this collective effort helped the Bucks outscore the Heat 50-34 in the paint after 48 minutes of action. That difference is rather significant as Miami entered this matchup as the best defensive team in the association by letting up just 41.2 opponent points in the paint per game, per NBA.com/stats.

If the Bucks do run into the Heat within the next few weeks, breaking through the wall down low could be one of the major keys to winning that series.