Milwaukee Bucks: 3 takeaways from 113-84 Game 3 win over Miami Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks are now just one win away from completing their sweep over the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, thanks to their 113-84 victory in Game 3 Thursday night.

Although the series shifting to Miami should have sparked some life into the Heat with their backs against the wall, it proved to be another lopsided effort in favor of the Bucks. Once again, an energized Milwaukee team came out with urgency and established a sizeable lead practically all throughout this matchup and stood as big as 34 late in the fourth quarter.

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When the final buzzer sounded, the Bucks walked off with yet another dominant victory over the Heat last night. This team was undoubtedly firing on all cylinders with the contributions coming from top to bottom on this roster.

The Bucks have now taken a commanding 3-0 lead in this series and they will have a chance to seal the deal for good in this coming Saturday’s Game 4 in Miami. With the Heat now having entered do-or-die mode as their playoff chances hang in the balance, it will be interesting to see if the Bucks can finish them off or if this series will head back to Milwaukee for more.

Before that game tips off, here are three takeaways from the Bucks’ impressive 113-84 win in South Beach last night.

The Milwaukee Bucks continue dominance on the glass in win over Heat

Among the many things that have stood out during this series, the Bucks’ prolific rebounding is certainly near the top of the list.

They have dominated the Heat in cleaning the glass and that trend carried over last night as Milwaukee outrebounded Miami 59-46 on the night. Although it was a rather quiet outing for Giannis Antetokounmpo, he took on a bulk of the workload in this department by hauling in a game-high 17 boards.

This stellar effort on that glass from the Bucks included hauling in 10 offensive rebounds, which has been a welcoming boost during this series to help them put extra points on the board. Although they added just nine points on extra opportunities this game, it remains clear that the emphasis on offensive rebounding is working well in their favor.

The Bucks have a clear size advantage in this series with players like Giannis, Brook Lopez, and Bobby Portis on the floor and they are clearly taking advantage of it.

Jrue Holiday shows he’s a difference maker for the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 win over Heat

The bigger picture with the Jrue Holiday trade was always about the postseason from the beginning, and what the Bucks envisioned is coming to fruition quickly.

Holiday had himself another phenomenal all-around game highlighted by racking up 19 points on a highly efficient 7-for-10 shooting, including 2-for-4 from deep. The guard was putting in shots from everywhere on the floor with relative ease and proving once more that he can be a reliable scoring option for this team in the backcourt, which is reassuring in these playoffs.

In addition to his top-tier scoring, Holiday flashed his playmaking prowess once more by dishing out a whopping 12 assists. Similar to his ability to put the ball in the hoop under pressure, Holiday has given this team another trustworthy ball handler that can take the reigns for the offense over Giannis or Khris Middleton at times.

While single game plus-minus can oftentimes be a flawed stat to some degree, Holiday’s overall impact was written all over this game as he finished with a +41 on the night. He has unlocked another element to this Milwaukee team on both ends of the floor as he continues showing that he could potentially be the player that separates this team from the Bucks of the past two years.

The Milwaukee Bucks showcase their defensive potential in Game 3 win over Heat

The Bucks experimented with their defensive schemes all throughout the regular season and it is immediately paying off in these playoffs.

The entire unit was clicking on the defensive side of the ball in last night’s win by holding Miami to just 84 points after 48 minutes of action. The Bucks played relentless basketball on the defensive end as the Heat struggled to score all night by shooting 32-for-85 (37.6 percent) from the floor and 9-for-32 (28.1 percent) from beyond the perimeter.

Per NBA.com/stats, the Heat’s 82.4 offensive rating is the lowest mark they’ve set for a single game, both regular season and playoffs combined.

A common theme of this series has been how well Milwaukee has shut down Miami’s key rotational players, which continued in this matchup. Although Jimmy Butler clocked his best outing in these three games by tallying 19 points, he was just 7-of-17 from the floor as he was hounded by the Bucks’ best defenders all night.

Needing a spark, the Heat slid Goran Dragic into the starting point guard slot, but it was to no avail as he scored just eight points on 3-of-14 shooting. Lastly, they held Miami’s sharpshooters in check as Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson combined to shoot 5-for-16 from the floor.

With names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jrue Holiday, and P.J. Tucker in the fold, the Bucks have the personnel to be a formidable foe on the defensive end. They have played championship-level defense throughout these first three games, and this team must keep their foot on the gas with their robust defense in these playoffs.

The Bucks will look to keep this momentum rolling as they can sweep the series against the Heat with a win on Saturday. That should be a thrilling matchup between these two and you can catch the action at 12:30 pm CST on TNT or Bally Sports Wisconsin for those viewing locally.