A Foul Frenzy: Bucks vs. Heat Game Two (September 2, 2020)
The Milwaukee Bucks went up against the Miami Heat in game two of their series with the hopes of shifting the momentum. Miami had come out hot in game one, with Jimmy Butler (13 pts, 3 reb, 6 ast, 3 stl) showing why he’s a max contract type of guy.
Brook Lopez (16 pts, 7 reb) was their only form of offense to open the game. Just like in game one, he was a flamethrower in the corner. He made one, got fouled on the next, and then converted on a four point play. Lopez was, and has been for the past two years, a three point assassin for Milwaukee.
As for Miami, Goran Dragic (23 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast, 2 stl) started off the game running the offense to perfection. He was in part responsible for their first five buckets, and the Bucks seemingly had no answer. For a guy who only started three times for Miami before the playoffs, he was fitting in real well for the Heat. It was Dragic vs. the world early on.
With around five minutes left in the first, things looked weird to me. Mike Budenholzer had a lineup on the floor of George Hill (14 pts, 3 reb), Wesley Matthews (4 pts, 4 reb), Pat Connaughton (2 pts, 3 reb), Marvin Williams (4 pts, 5 reb), and Lopez. To make it worse, they were going up a lineup made up of mainly starters for Miami. Then just to put the icing on the cake, Giannis Antetokounmpo (29 pts, 14 reb, 3 ast) hadn’t scored yet. It just felt like an odd choice to me.
The Heat were on their game defensively. They were forcing turnovers, getting hands in passing lanes, and denying a lot of points in the paint. It felt like the only good looks Milwaukee was getting were from threes or the free throw line.
As the second started up, the Bucks looked lost. Miami was getting their way on both ends of the floor, and Budenholzer kept running lineups that just didn’t involve Antetokounmpo enough. Meanwhile, Tyler Herro (17 pts, 5 reb, 4 ast) and Kelly Olynyk (11 pts, 5 reb) were destroying the Bucks.
Antetokounmpo started to run the offense a little better as the quarter went on, but both he and Khris Middleton (23 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast) ran into some foul trouble. Both had picked up three fouls by the time there was around four minutes left in the second. Miami held a, roughly, ten point lead for a large majority of the quarter.
Milwaukee’s defensive philosophy of guarding the paint and giving up a bunch of threes was backfiring for them. With guys like Jae Crowder (16 pts, 6 reb), Duncan Robinson (13 pts, 3 reb), and Herro on the other team, they were getting killed. A last second basket and some great play from Eric Bledsoe (16 pts, 7 reb, 2 ast) did cut the lead down a bit, though. The Heat went into halftime up 66-60.
Miami’s defense continued to step up their intensity in the second half. Antetokounmpo kept trying to get into the paint but the Heat were finding ways to stop him. Whether it was by pulling the chair out, stripping the ball, or just getting in front of him, they were definitely slowing down the reigning MVP.
By the time the third was around halfway over, things were getting chippy. Props to the referees for letting the game play out, but there was a lot of physicality going on. Miami was playing like the clear better team, and the scoreboard showed it. Emotions were running high for both squads and the game was showing it.
Lopez and Middleton got the Bucks going midway through the third, too. It wasn’t pretty, but they did manage to cut Miami’s lead down to two with around five minutes left. A small Miami cold streak was all Milwaukee needed to start crawling back into the game. The Bucks even tied it up as the Heat just couldn’t get anything to go.
One guy who was playing super well was Bam Adebayo (15 pts, 9 reb, 3 ast). He wasn’t scoring a ton, but was quietly doing everything that the Heat needed him to on both ends of the floor.
Despite some elevated play by the Bucks, Erik Spoelstra and the Heat still held a four point lead going into the final quarter.
A three from Kyle Korver (6 pts) temporarily gave the Bucks a lead, but Miami bounced back quick. Crowder and Herro continued their hot streaks as the Heat’s shooting struggles seemed to be over. On top of that, Derrick Jones Jr. (2 pts, 1 stl, 3 blk) was giving Spoelstra some amazing minutes on the defensive end. He was almost single handedly forcing turnover after turnover.
Things got so bad that Budenholzer even tried sending Antetokounmpo to the bench with around seven minutes left in the fourth. To be honest, though, from what I was seeing the Bucks seemed to have a better flow on offense without him on the floor. A flagrant foul on Adebayo looked to turn the tide for Milwaukee, though, as Antetokounmpo checked back in around a minute later.
The minutes immediately following the call on Adebayo were some of the most hectic of the game. So much happened so quickly that it felt like everything was rushed. Whether it was Antetokounmpo getting away with what seemed like three offensive fouls, to the Heat draining a barrage of threes all over Milwaukee, things got crazy. Somehow, Miami still held a six point lead when Spoelstra called a timeout with around three and a half minutes left.
A lot of credit has to go to Miami’s defense down the stretch, though, as they held the Bucks scoreless for about four minutes straight up until around a minute and a half left. However, the Bucks still managed to stay within a couple possessions of the lead. It was going down to the wire.
With 19 seconds left, the Heat were up six and things were looking bad for Milwaukee. They were going to need some big shots from their stars, something they hadn’t gotten in game one, if they wanted a chance.
Antetokounmpo got a bucket and then Milwaukee forced a turnover immediately after Miami inbounded the ball. Butler threw a pass under his own basket and Lopez ended up getting an easy bucket. Heat up by two with eight seconds left on the clock.
Olynyk made a dangerous inbound pass to Butler who muscled his way to get the ball and got fouled. Butler went to the line. First shot - missed. Second shot - made. Timeout Bucks with 7.7 seconds left.
Milwaukee got the ball to Middleton who pulled up from deep. Dragic stood still in front of him, but Middleton still managed to draw the foul. A very questionable call at a very crucial moment. Middleton nailed all his free throws. Tie game.
Butler got the ball in the corner. Four seconds on the clock. He gets the ball up and the clock hits zero. No good… but a foul. Antetokounmpo made contact on Butler. Butler going to the line with the chance to win.
First one up… bounces off the rim… in. Heat win. 2-0 Miami.
Miami deserved to win this game, as they were the better team up until the last couple minutes. What an ending, and what a win. Catch game three on Sunday, September 4 at 6:30 PM EST.
