Once again, the Milwaukee Bucks lost in the series opener in these playoffs, as they fell prey to the Miami Heat in Game 1 of their series. It’s still a long way to go for both teams, though, so expect a fightback from the Bucks in Game 2. Check out our preview of this important matchup below.
Jimmy Butler is locked in. In Game 1 of the Heat’s second-round series against the Bucks, Butler flexed hard on Milwaukee and scored 14 of his 40 (playoff career-best) in the fourth quarter to help pull Miami to a 115-104 win. Goran Dragic also had a big game, as he came up with 27 points. Bam Adebayo played a crucial role in the win, especially on defense, as he finished with 17 rebounds and two steals to go with 12 points and six assists. Miami’s outside shooting was on point in Game 1, with the Heat connecting on 12 of 31 shots from deep, and that’s without Duncan Robinson joining much of the party. DROB scored just four points with a lone 3-pointer. Robinson is arguably the best 30-point shooter on the team in the playoffs, as he’s shooting 41.9 percent from behind the arc. Once he inevitably gets his shot falling from the 3-point region, the Heat’s offense will be harder to stop for Milwaukee, which allowed Miami to shoot 46.4 percent from the field in the series opener.
The Heat are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games.
The Bucks could have gotten more from Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Greek Freak scored just 18 points in Game 1, as he shot just 6 for 12 from the field. What’s more glaring was his bad 4-for-12 shooting from the free-throw line, the worst performance from the charity stripe in the playoffs for a player with at least 12 attempts from the foul line since 2017. As the team’s leader and most important player, Antetokoumpo can’t afford to have games like that, particularly when up against a team like the surging Heat. As a consolation, though, Khris Middleton is finally playing well again after quite a funk in the earlier portions of the first round. In the loss to Miami, Middleton scored 28 points and grabbed six rebounds. He is averaging 23.3 points and shooting 47.8 percent from deep over the Bucks’ last three games.
The Bucks are 4-1 against the spread in their last five games.
