Milwaukee Bucks: 3 players they must contain in Game 2 with Miami Heat
By Dalton Sell
The Milwaukee Bucks must contain Jimmy Butler in Game 2 with the Heat
After dismantling the Bucks in last year’s postseason meeting, Jimmy Butler struggled to find his footing in the first game of the rematch.
The forward scored 17 points on a horrendous 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) and 2-for-9 (22.2 percent) from behind the arc in nearly 46 minutes played. Aside from Giannis Antetokounmpo letting Butler slip by to hit the game-tying shot to send the game to overtime, Milwaukee did a solid job of keeping the forward in check all afternoon.
Despite Antetokounmpo’s blunder at the end, he was relatively impactful when he was matched up against Butler defensively. According to NBA.com/stats, Butler scored five points on 2-for-6 shooting from the field across 31.7 partial possessions with Antetokounmpo defending. Many believed Jrue Holiday would be Butler’s primary defender throughout this series, but Antetokounmpo showed in Game 1 that perhaps he could be the key to slowing down the five-time All-Star.
However, Antetokounmpo was not alone with his strong defense against Butler as P.J. Tucker also made his presence felt on that side of the ball. Tucker allowed Butler to score just two points during the 9.3 partial possessions they were matched up against one another but held him scoreless from the field as he shot 0-for-6 in those situations.
The Bucks traded for Tucker midseason because they knew that his robust presence on the defensive end could be useful in the postseason. He proved them right straight away as he did a fantastic job of keeping Miami’s best player in check. When Antetokounmpo is catching his breath, it is certainly reassuring to know that the team has another top-tier defender they can throw at Butler to make him work for every basket.
Next. 3 biggest wild cards that will determine Miami Heat series. dark
Although Butler had a rough first game, he is someone that can unquestionably heat up in a hurry. Keeping his contributions to a minimum will be critical for the Bucks as this series progresses.