The Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks are set for game two in Wisconsin after a thrilling first game. Khris Middleton knocked down the winner at the end of the first overtime, following a buzzer-beating layup by Jimmy Butler in the fourth quarter that sent the game there. This will be a battle until the final whistle of a team’s fourth victory.
Miami did everything right in the first game, and they still fell short. They unleashed Duncan Robinson early and often, as he just could not be stopped and couldn’t miss from deep. Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic both had very good games. But the big problem was Jimmy Butler, who only shot 4-22 from the floor.
For all of the things Butler does for the team, if he shoots like that, they will probably not win.
Milwaukee watched Giannis Antetokounmpo miss more than 50% of his free throws and shot the ball under 40% for the game. Luckily, they had Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton there to pick up the slack. They were invaluable on both ends of the floor and won the game ultimately. It was good to see Coach Mike Budenholzer giving his starters more minutes.
In past playoffs, he has rested Giannis a little too much. This is better.
ODDS
The spread for game two is set at MIL -4.5. The over/under is 222.5 points.
Heat Looking to Even Series
After a heartbreaking game one loss, the Heat had to go back to the drawing board. They are good enough to match up with any team in the East, and the Bucks are no exception. For the most part, they played good D and got stops for the first 52:58 when they needed them. And then Middleton burned them one final time to seal a win for MIL.
Miami ran through the Bucks last year, winning a lot of close games en route to a surprise 4-1 series victory. The home-court did not factor in last time as it now does, so perhaps things are just a little different. Still, when you won the East last year, and your core remains intact, there aren’t excuses.
#6 seed or not, Miami should be feeling pressure to not only win this game but the series.
Bucks Seek Comfort of 2-0 lead
Milwaukee has not had a 2-0 series lead since the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals, and we all know how that turned out. Toronto went home and won two there, won a game in MIL, and then put the series away back on their home court. Last year, the Bucks trailed 0-1 in both rounds.
The Magic took the first game from them in round one, and of course, Miami won game two. Here we now stand, Milwaukee has a chance to win another game that would be huge for their confidence. They have championship aspirations and improved the roster, so they should want this more.
Giannis has to be better. They need to continue to let Middleton eat. And the bench should do exactly as it has all season.
Bucks Win, Go Up 2-0
Milwaukee will claim victory again, taking a 2-0 lead in the series.
FREE PLAY: MIL -4.5
OVER/UNDER: UNDER 222.5
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