The Milwaukee Bucks exacted their playoff revenge Saturday afternoon by sweeping the Miami Heat with their 120-103 Game 4 victory at American Airlines Arena.
It wasn’t the smoothest closeout game for the Bucks as they had to battle back from a 7-point halftime deficit, thanks to the Heat’s shooting finally arriving this series. However, Milwaukee put together a massive second half turnaround that helped them turn around the game and win comfortably by the final buzzer.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
It all helped the Bucks vanquish their foe from last year’s playoffs down in the bubble and they showed that revenge is a dish best served cold Milwaukee-style.
So without further ado, let’s dive into what all stood out in the Milwaukee Bucks series closing victory over the Miami Heat from Saturday afternoon.
Bryn Forbes gives Milwaukee Bucks a massive lifeline in Game 4 victory
As mentioned before, it was far from a smooth ride for the Bucks, especially in the first half. The Heat’s use of zone defense really bottled up their free-flowing and fast-paced offense that we saw for most of the series.
That was the case until Bryn Forbes got going midway through the second quarter, all of which sparked the Bucks’ congested attack to that point. Forbes’ late scoring outburst in the 2nd quarter helped the Bucks come within 7 of the Heat going into halftime.
Those shots that Forbes hit late proved to be infectious in turning the Bucks’ offense around going into the second half as they found the formula to crack Miami’s zone defense. Forbes took advantage of terrible defensive lapses from the Heat too by adding up his 3-pointers on the day.
Forbes finished Game 4 with 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting from long range and a pair of rebounds in nearly 25-and-a-half minutes. It was the fitting cap for Forbes to finish the series on as he proved to be one of the biggest difference makers in sweeping Miami.
Brook Lopez delivered another definitive performance in Game 4 for Milwaukee Bucks
Another Bucks player who proved to be a massive difference for the Bucks in their series sweep over the Heat was Brook Lopez and he surely didn’t slow down in Game 4.
Lopez posted a game-high 25 points on 11-for-15 shooting, eight rebounds, two assists and was a +22 in nearly 28 minutes of action.
As was the case all series long, Lopez’s presence proved to be too massive, quite literally, for the Heat’s ball handlers to get around in the paint and at the basket. While Bam Adebayo did show signs of life in Game 4 after struggling all series long, Lopez did his best in making Adebayo work for all 20 of his points, which came on 10-for-17 shooting.
It was on the offensive end, though, where Lopez saved his best performance of the series for Game 4. Even without attempting a shot from long range, Lopez delivered back-breaking buckets on the Heat, whether it was due to second chance efforts, putting down one-handed runners and throwing down vicious slams after setting big screens for pick-and-rolls.
Like the Bucks’ Big 3 or Forbes, you can’t tell the story of how this series went in the Bucks’ favor so definitively without touching on Lopez’s contributions and he kept it up in Game 4.
Giannis Antetokounmpo compiles triple-double for Milwaukee Bucks in Game 4 win
It was far from crisp performance in Game 4, but Giannis Antetokounmpo managed to cap off his series and the Bucks’ sweep in ways that he can only do.
Antetokounmpo achieved quite the feat when he put together his first career playoff triple-double and the third triple-double in Bucks playoff history. The reigning MVP finished with 20 points on 8-for-18 shooting (0-for-4 from three, 4-for-6 from the free throw line), 15 assists, 12 rebounds and two blocks in over 36 minutes of action.
This is only the third time a @Bucks player has recorded a triple double in the playoffs
— Justin García 🎙 (@tmjgarcia) May 29, 2021
Kareem (4/13/70)
Paul Pressey (5/7/86)
It wasn’t smooth sailing for Antetokounmpo, especially in the first half. Antetokounmpo battled through poor shot selection, the Heat putting up their zone defense to bottle up his drives and foul trouble could have easily derailed his and the Bucks’ performance.
Yet, Antetokounmpo responded, stayed patient and let the game come to him and he did so by dishing it out to his teammates and Bucks shooters that set their stage for their massive turnaround in the second half. Eventually, the shots started to fall for Antetokounmpo as he got more downhill to break through the Heat’s broken defense to conquer his and the Bucks’ demons against Miami.
He was far from his most consistent throughout the series, but Antetokounmpo’s Game 4 performance showed he was capable of solving the same problems that have slowed him down in the postseason historically.
The Bucks move on to the Eastern Conference Semifinals where they await the winner of the series between the Brooklyn Nets and the Boston Celtics. For the time being, we’ll have much more reaction to the Bucks’ playoff performances here at Behind the Buck Pass.