The Miami Heat defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 130-117 in game one of round one at the Fiserv Forum.
Unfortunately, injuries to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tyler Herro might take some excitement out of this series, but Miami does not control home court.
Jimmy Butler came to play, and his efforts will need to be more of the same for the Heat to get back to the conference finals. Here’s a quick recap of Miami’s win over Milwaukee.
Heat find rhythm on offense
Since the play-in game against the Hawks, Miami has really played to its strength on offense. Brook Lopez chose to give more space to Bam Adebayo inside the paint, and Bam was assertive for most of the game. Bam scored 22 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists.
Jimmy Butler lived up to his name of Playoff Jimmy, recording 35 points and 11 assists.
Kevin Love also looked like his old self, finishing with 18 points and eight rebounds. Erik Spoelstra has trimmed his rotation to seven players now, so higher production will be needed from those role players for the Heat to be a contender.
Gabe Vincent proved that he can be a low volume, efficient player; he still needs more touches in the backcourt to keep the defense on its heels. Vincent’s play style allows him to play with any unit, and Miami is significantly better on the offensive side with him on the court.
How does Miami proceed?
All in all, it’s very important that the Miami Heat learn some things from this win. Sleeping on the Bucks even without Giannis could cost the Heat. Khris Middleton and company are very capable of turning this series around like they did in 2021. Speaking of Middleton, he scored 33 points and nine rebounds.
Kyle Lowry didn’t play to his full potential in this game, and his hot streaks are vital to giving Miami momentum. Without a scorer like Herro, other players like Max Strus and Caleb Martin need to step up. For now, the Heat look to be in good shape!