As two teams with a long history of playoff battles, the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks were prepared for a high-intensity battle at the Kaseya Center today. With star power on both sides, the game carried some extra weight as each team came in desperate for a win.
After setting the tone early with a 10-point lead in the first quarter, the Heat kept up their pace the whole way through, leading to a tight battle that went down to the wire. In the end, the Heat managed to close it out (112-105) in a balanced team effort that involved contributions from multiple sources.
For Miami, Pelle Larsson led the way with 28 points, six rebounds, six assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 64.3% shooting from the field (2-3 from three). At power forward, Bam Adebayo contributed 21 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 30.0% shooting (0-5 from three). Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo led all scorers with 31 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal, and one block on 50.0% shooting from the field (0-2 from three) for the Bucks. Off the bench, Bobby Portis added 19 points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and zero blocks on 57.1% shoooting (2-4 from three).
Coming off Bam Adebayo’s historic night, it would have been easy for the Heat to lose focus or underestimate the Bucks (who are already thinking of next season). Instead, they maintained their momentum and showed their strength with a solid performance on multiple fronts. On the flip side, Milwaukee demonstrated numerous flaws that only helped explain why they’ve been struggling so much all season.
1. No-Show From Bucks Starters
You have to credit Miami’s defense tonight, but the Bucks really couldn’t get anything going. They made just nine threes as a team, going 9-26 (34.6%) from the field. Besides Giannis, who finished with 31 points, the Bucks’ starters totaled just 18 points combined, shooting 7-22 from the field. If not for standout performances from Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins off the bench (who combined for 35 points), the game wouldn’t have been close.
With minimal help from the supporting cast, there was only so much Giannis could do to flip the game. He was scoring at will and was soaking up all the defense’s attention. But with nobody else making shots, the Bucks were unable to sustain their offense, adding more pressure on the other end to contain Miami’s scoring.
2. Balanced Attack For The Heat
While the Bucks were relying on Giannis for every play, the Heat enjoyed a nice, even spread of scoring and playmaking. Four different players hit double figures, including four of the five starters. At center, Kel’el Ware was making his presence known with a modest stat line of six points, 13 rebounds, one assist, zero steals, and one block on 22.2% shooting (1-4 from three).
While the Heat only finished with 26 assists, the ball was moving constantly with every player locked in and on the same page. The results weren’t perfect, but it was enough to get the job done against a Bucks team that is much less capable offensively. Tonight was a flash of depth for Miami on a night where they needed all the help they could get.
3. Miami Won The Rebound Battle
Oftentimes, the final score is decided by the team that shoots the most. Given that fact, it should come as no surprise that the Heat dominated the boards tonight, winning the possession battle and widening the margin for error. In total, the Heat finished with 53 rebounds, which is 17 more than the Bucks, who had just 36 for the game. Ultimately, rebounding numbers are usually a reflection of attention and effort on the floor, areas where Milwaukee has been consistently lacking.
With guys like Giannis and Myles Turner, the Bucks have the personnel to be a solid rebounding team, but it requires communication, consistency, and focus from start to finish. Clearly, the Bucks just couldn’t get there today, leading to poor positioning and poor timing throughout the game. In the end, it was enough to spell disaster against a Heat squad that’s won eight of its last 10 games.
4. Pelle Larsson Legacy Game
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has always been elite at getting the most out of his players, but nobody saw this kind of outburst from Pelle Larsson. The second-year player, who is just 25 years old, is only averaging 10.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game on 48.6% shooting and 31.8% shooting from three this season, but he is capable of going off for big numbers.
Today was arguably the best performance of his NBA career so far, with a final stat line of 28 points, six rebounds, six assists, one steal, and zero blocks on 64.3% shooting and 66.7% shooting from three (2-3). He also shot 8-8 from the free-throw line. When someone so unexpected goes off like that, it can be hard for the opposition to adjust, and the Bucks really didn’t know what to do. They didn’t play for this, and it showed as Larsson carved up their defense again and again.
