The Milwaukee Bucks delivered quite the statement in their 132-98 Game 2 victory over the Miami Heat Monday night at Fiserv Forum.
Backed by one of their biggest offensive performances on the season, the Bucks shot the lights out to roll past the Heat and go up 2-0 in the series following the first pair of games in Milwaukee. The Bucks finished with a franchise-record 22 threes and it’s safe to say the Heat felt every one of those triples in quite the role reversal from Game 1.
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Of course, a lights out shooting display wasn’t the only thing that catapulted the Bucks to success Monday night as we’ll get into shortly. Nevertheless, Milwaukee have proven to the Heat they aren’t the same advantageous matchup they were during last year’s playoffs so far this series.
So without further ado, let’s break down what all stood out in the Bucks’ overwhelming victory in Game 2 of their first round series against the Miami Heat.
Milwaukee Bucks shut down Heat’s stars in Game 2 blowout win
Another night, another game where the Bucks neutralized Miami’s top players, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.
That was helped by the incredibly fast start the Bucks got off to not long after the opening tip, but anyone expecting the Heat to be carried by their star players to another hard fought battle was sorely mistaken.
Butler did his part in trying to inject some life into the proceedings, but the Bucks’ defense and length continued to smother the All-Star wing as he finished with 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, four assists and two steals in nearly 32 minutes of run.
Adebayo, meanwhile, continued his unwillingness to shoot with the plenty of space given to him by the Bucks’ big men, but tried to rely on his energy and ball skills to spark Miami’s lackluster offense. The fourth-year big man finished with 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting (6-for-9 from the foul line), four assists as well as four turnovers in over 28-and-a-half minutes.
With Dewayne Dedmon standing as the Heat’s scorer with 19 points, that pretty much said all one needed to know why the Bucks came away with such a lopsided victory.
Bryn Forbes lights it up for Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 win over Heat
Another reason why the Bucks blew the doors open on the Heat was the exploits of one Bryn Forbes.
To say that Forbes exploded upon taking the court might be an understatement as each and every successive 3-pointer that he knocked down added more fire to the Bucks’ red-hot start in the first quarter. Forbes’ four triples during the first period contributed to the Bucks breaking an NBA record by hitting 10 triples for a quarter.
Forbes didn’t let it up from there as he continued to splash in a couple of more triples as well as take advantage of over-aggressive closeouts from Heat defenders and as the Bucks went on to finish with 22 made triples. And in the midst of his hot shooting performance, Bucks guard Jrue Holiday admitted that the team was riding Forbes’ hot hand to ride them to a blowout victory as ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz relayed after the game:
"“If my man got the hot hand, I’m going to him,” Bucks point guard Jrue Holiday said. “And he wasn’t missing, so at that point we were running everything to him just to — really just to see what happens.”"
Forbes finished the night with 22 points on 8-for-12 shooting (6-for-9 from deep), five rebounds and a pair of turnovers in nearly 20 minutes of burn off the bench. Now as the series shifts over to Miami, the Bucks know fully well their most lethal sharpshooter is capable of breaking playoff games wide-open.
Giannis Antetokounmpo powers Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 win over Heat
As the Bucks exploded from long distance, it was Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo who kicked off such an overwhelming shooting display.
It served as the opening salve that Antetokounmpo and the Bucks needed to set the tone for their offensive explosion for the night. The two-time MVP had fully gotten past his erratic showing in Game 1 and regularly tore open the Heat’s undisciplined defense on his way to the basket. 22 of Antetokounmpo’s 31 points came within the paint, which marked all of his baskets outside of his lone triple on the night.
While Antetokounmpo’s offense clicked into full gear in Game 2, his terrorizing defense, especially on Jimmy Butler, proved to be incredibly key in grinding down the Heat’s offensive attack.
All in all, Antetokounmpo posted a game-leading 31 points on 12-for-23 shooting (1-for-7 from deep, 6-for-7 from the free throw line), 13 board, six assists, three steals and a pair of turnovers in nearly 31 minutes of run.
As much fun as it was to see the Bucks’ role players like Bryn Forbes or Pat Connaughton get of plenty of shine by knocking down shots, Antetokounmpo’s two-way brilliance was both brilliant and incredibly reassuring to see.
Being off over the next couple of days as the series shifts over to Miami, Game 3 of the Bucks’ series with the Heat will tip off at 6:30 p.m. CST at American Airlines Arena. You can catch the action on TNT or on Bally Sports Wisconsin for those living locally.