3 takeaways from Milwaukee Bucks blowout win over Miami Heat

Well, if you were hoping for a bounce-back performance from the Milwaukee Bucks after losing a tight one on Thursday, you were in luck! Despite missing some key pieces, the Bucks rolled the Miami Heat 124-102.

The Bucks never trailed as they dominated from start to finish, even though they (like the Heat) were without some important players. The usual suspects were out for Milwaukee, but they were also without Giannis Antetokounmpo (calf), Grayson Allen (illness), and Geroge Hill (knee).

It was no problem for the Bucks as they led by as many as 30 points in this one and showed off their impressive depth with head coach Mike Budenholzer going deep into his bench tonight (more on that in a bit).

The Milwaukee Bucks were led by their stars against the Miami Heat

Tonight was a chance for Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton to run the show without Antetokounmpo while the Heat had Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro leading the way for them. It was no contest, the Bucks’ two former All-Stars took the reins and led the blowout performance.

Middleton finished with 22 points (59.6 percent true shooting), six rebounds, and nine assists in almost 30 minutes. Holiday had 16 points (57.6 percent true shooting), five rebounds, and seven assists, as well as a game-high plus/minus of plus-26.

The Heat lead duo combined to go 8-of-29 from the field and 2-of-13 from 3-point range for 25 combined points. Pat Connaughton had 23 points on 15 shots by himself.

I mentioned in the preview for this game that it would be a chance for Middleton to build off of his strong second half in their last game after having a bit of a roller coaster in terms of his individual performances since returning from COVID-19.

He was able to take advantage of a Heat team that was without Jimmy Butler and got some easier matchups against Herro and Duncan Robinson. Hopefully, this is another step in the right direction for Middleton and he can get closer to his old self and shake off the rust.

For Holiday, it’s another strong performance as it’s safe to say he’s back to his old self from the regular season last year and can be relied upon for efficient secondary scoring in addition to his strong defense and playmaking.