Milwaukee Bucks forward Khris Middleton highlighted how the Bucks could take a 138-122 win over the Miami Heat even without the forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
“It takes the whole team; I think you saw that tonight,” Khris Middleton said. “It wasn't just one guy that carried us.
“A lot of people might expect me or Jrue to take on all the load that Giannis does, but what he does, we can't match. We have to do it by committee.”
Antetokounmpo was ruled out of Wednesday's matchup after he was listed as “questionable” with a lower back contusion.
Khris Middleton ended the night with 16 points as he made six of his 16 attempts and two of his five 3-point shots, driving in for contested attempts before making two 3-point shots in the second quarter. Center Brook Lopez and guard Jrue Holiday added a combined 49 points, finding ways to work with one another and their Bucks teammates to find open looks from almost every part of the floor.
The Bucks became the second team in NBA history to make 25 or more 3-point shots in a playoff game behind the stellar shooting of forward Bobby Portis and guards Pat Connaughton and Joe Ingles. Ingles and Connaughton combined for 11 made long-range shots on 16 attempts off the bench, helping lift Milwaukee to 51% from the 3-point line by game's end.
“We think we have the best player in the world, but we think we have the best guys around him. The best team,” Khris Middleton said, via ESPN. “And that's what builds confidence, one guy goes down and we feel like we have a chance to compete at the highest level.”
The Bucks will tip off against the Heat at 6:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday in the Kaseya Center. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN and Bally Sports Wisconsin.
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