A much cooler night in Miami
Middleton, Holiday both struggle offensively
At some point, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday were going to miss some shots. Giannis Antetokounmpo had been facilitating on offense but had not quite found his scoring touch.
Generally, the Milwaukee Bucks would hope one – or two – wouldn't happen with another, let alone all three occurring at once. Such was the case Wednesday night, however, and the Miami Heat used it to its advantage to overcome a 14-point third quarter deficit to win 119-108 and split the
back-to-back series.
Middleton came into the game shooting 57.6% from the floor, Holiday 59.2%.
The pair combined to go 7 for 30 from the floor for 21 points. Middleton scored a season-low eight points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting and finished with a triple-double with 10 assists and 13 rebounds, but the Heat prevented him from taking over the game.
And, a night after setting a record with 29 three-pointers, the Bucks went 16 for 41 on Wednesday night. They also scored just 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“They made some shots and then we struggled offensively to finish, knock down shots, they were able to flip it really the last half of the third quarter and then the fourth quarter,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “Credit to them. They made the plays, they made the shots and we didn’t do enough definitely or offensively to kind of push it through the fourth.”
And unlike the previous game when Miami was blown out in the first five minutes and Whitnall High School alumnus Tyler Herro was the only factor on offense, the Heat received major contributions from Bam Adebayo, Avery Bradley and Goran Dragić off the bench.
Adebayo was especially active, scoring 22 points and handing out 10 assists to go with eight rebounds, giving Miami a presence inside. He combined with Kelly Olynyk (15 points, eight rebounds) to hustle after second chances off missed shots, and it helped the Heat not just rally but build up to a 15-point fourth quarter lead.
And, Adebayo seemed to make a play in the fourth quarter whenever the Bucks tried to play their way back in, be it an offensive rebound, a falling down jumper or poking free a ball on defense.
Herro scored 21 as Holiday was in foul trouble most of the second half, and he took advantage of anyone else the Bucks tried to throw at him with his quickness. Herro added 15 rebounds and four assists.
What also helped the Heat come back was a cut down on its turnovers in the second half, giving it away just seven times. That prevented the Bucks from getting out in transition and creating easier shots on a night when their stars couldn’t really get into a rhythm.
The key stretch for the Heat came at the end of the third quarter following a Bobby Portis three-pointer that put the Bucks up 84-73. After that, the Heat closed the period with a 15-7 advantage, which was sparked by Herro scoring seven points and assisting on a three-pointer after Holiday’s fourth foul.
The momentum carried into the fourth quarter, as the Heat opened on an 11-2 run to take a 99-93 lead and never looked back.
The Bucks led by as many as 10 in the first half and took a 56-51 lead into the break thanks to 27 points from the bench. It was needed, as Antetokounmpo and Middleton struggled to find themselves offensively, combining for 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
All 10 players who saw court time for the Bucks scored, but not one was in double figures. Though the threepoint shooting understandably fell off the record pace of Tuesday night, the Bucks did score 17 points off 15 Heat turnovers in the first half.
Adebayo gave a hint at what was to come, however, as he scored 14 points and handed out four assists. Dragić added 13 off the bench, and it was needed as Holiday put the clamps down on Herro (five points).