Giannis, Bucks Dominate Jimmy Butler, Heat in Game 2 to Take 2-0 Series Lead
The Milwaukee Bucks took a 2-0 lead in their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, flying past the Heat 132-98 on Monday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was the leading scorer for the Bucks, but it was a strong first half from Bryn Forbes that set the tone for the third-seeded Bucks, who narrowly won Game 1 in overtime Saturday but had a historic outing on Monday.
For the No. 6 Heat, who will have some work to do if they want to advance, Dewayne Dedmon scored 19 points, a postseason-best for the 31-year-old.
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Notable Performers
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks: 31 PTS, 13 REB, 6 AST
- Bryn Forbes, Bucks: 22 PTS, 5 REB
- Khris Middleton, Bucks: 17 PTS
- Jrue Holiday, Bucks: 11 PTS, 15 AST
- Bam Adebayo, Heat: 16 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB
- Dewayne Dedmon, Heat: 19 PTS, 4 REB
Historic First Half Leads Bucks
The Bucks wasted no time on Monday, starting on an 8-0 run before forcing the Heat to call a timeout after going down 12-2 in the opening four minutes.
That quick lead was pioneered by Antetokounmpo, who logged seven points in that span.
Donte DiVincenzo was the only other Bucks player to score, logging five points in three minutes. He only scored three points in the entirety of Game 1.
The Villanova product calmed down later in the first quarter, but Bryn Forbes stepped in to be the surprise for the second half of that frame. In five minutes off of the bench, he posted a game-high 14 points on four-of-five shooting from deep (and a good attempt from the paint).
The impressive team performance in the opening 12 minutes wasn't just enough to lead the Bucks well past the Heat. It was historic:
By the break, Forbes was up to 19 points, and Antetokounmpo had 18. Khris Middleton was right behind them with 13 points on four-of-five shooting from the field and perfect three-of-three shooting from deep.
The second half was mostly Antetokounmpo's show, as he ended the night with 31 points, but it was the first half slugging that mattered most in getting the Bucks ahead heading into Game 3.
Heat Can't Climb Out of Early Hole
Where the Bucks were flying fast to get things started, the Heat were struggling early. Jimmy Butler hit his lone field goal attempt in the opening four minutes, but Bam Adebayo missed all three.
The Bucks' onslaught continued, and the Heat had little to counter with. Butler was the team's highest-scoring starter with four points, while Dewayne Dedmon was the leading scorer with nine.
He continued to lead the Heat into the break, compiling 13 points on five-of-six shooting. Adebayo found his stride, scoring nine points, but it was too little too late. Duncan Robinson had eight points and Butler had seven.
Beyond their lack of scoring success, the Heat were also getting beat on the glass. They were out-rebounded 31-14 in the first half, grabbing just three offensive rebounds.
The Heat showed some signs of life early in the third, going shot for shot with the Bucks early, even as Trevor Ariza was assessed a flagrant-1 foul for an incident with Antetokounmpo.
A foul by Kendrick Nunn shortly after led to three shots from the line for Middleton, giving the Bucks the momentum they needed to keep things going strong. Goran Dragic was assessed a technical foul with five minutes left to play in the quarter, putting salt in the wound for the already-down Heat and prompting Reggie Miller to call for a running clock.
Dedmon's most productive outing since January 2019—and a career-high postseason outing—wasn't enough to pull the Heat past the Bucks, even with 18 points from Dragic and 16 from Adebayo.
What's Next?
The series heads to Miami for Game 3 (Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT).
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