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The Milwaukee Bucks are viewed as one of the strongest teams in the NBA this season, but the Miami Heat seem to have their number.
With Giannis Antetokounmpo leading the charge, most analysts are predicting a deep playoff run for Milwaukee. And with an NBA-best 52-9 overall record, those predictions hold a fair amount of weight. Somewhat surprisingly, though, the Heat are now the only team that has beat the Bucks twice this season.
The Heat, who are currently 39-22 and 4th in the Eastern Conference standings, seem to have a distinct game plan when taking on the The Greek Freak. Giannis is one of the best in drive-and-kick scenarios, but even with an improved 3-point shot, he's not as great from the perimeter. In both of their meetings this season, Miami has done its best to take advantage of this fact.
In Monday's matchup, Giannis was held to a season-low 13 points on 6-of-18 shooting (0-of-4 from beyond the arc). With Bam Adebayo serving as his primary defender, Antetokounmpo struggled to find a rhythm. In fact, Giannis went 1-of-10 with Bam as his defender, including an 0-of-7 mark on contested shots. When the final horn blew, Miami had managed to hold the Bucks to a season-low 89 points.
Notably, it was the second game in a row in which the Bucks posted a season-low point total. Milwaukee mustered just 93 points in Sunday's win over the Hornets.
“Not saying we can hold great offensive teams like this regularly under 90, but we have it in us to do it more consistently,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said following Monday's win, via ESPN.
Adebayo, who finished Monday's game with 14 points and 13 rebounds, believes the Heat can play with any team in the league:
“We're always the underdog,” Adebayo said, via ESPN. “I feel like we can play with anybody. And my teammates believe that, the coaching staff believes that and this city believed it. So we can play with anybody and this is one knock off and we just gotta keep going from here.”
Miami's first matchup against Milwaukee came much earlier in this season. In fact, it was the Heat's second regular season game and Milwaukee's home opener. Unlike Monday's convincing win, however, this one needed an overtime period. Notably, the Bucks held a 21-point lead in the third quarter, but the Heat managed to rally down the stretch to claim a 131-126 victory.
Antetokounmpo played well, scoring 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists. However, he also had eight turnovers and fouled out with 2:31 to play in the overtime frame. And furthermore, he was 0-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Adebayo was once again a force for the Heat, racking up 19 points and 13 rebounds. He also knocked down four clutch free-throws in the overtime period. Goran Dragic led the Heat in scoring, posting a 25-point effort off the bench.
Coach Spoelstra later noted that Miami's first win over the Bucks came down to grit and perseverance:
“A tremendous amount of perseverance and guts,” Spoelstra said, via ESPN. “Our guys made some really big-time plays in the second half. Our level of intensity, urgency went up. If you are going to try to beat one of these teams on their home floor, you are going to have to play a lot harder than we did in the first half. It was one inspiring play after another.”
A lot of teams have struggled when facing the Bucks this season. Chicago and Orlando went 0-4, while Atlanta, Cleveland, New York and Charlotte are 0-3. Clearly, though, the Heat do not fear the deer.
Miami and Milwaukee will meet for a third and final time this season on Monday, March 16. Will the Heat sweep the series, or will the Bucks have an answer?
