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Jimmy Butler: I Don't Think Heat Can Play Any Worse Than Game 2 Blowout Loss to Bucks
May 25, 2021
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler offered a reasonable outlook heading into Game 3 of his team's first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks after a blowout loss in Game 2 on Monday night.
"The bright spot is I don't think we could play any worse," Butler told reporters after the Heat fell 132-98, going down 2-0 in the series.
The Heat trailed 8-0 early, and Bam Adebayo missed his first three shots. It got worse from there, as they were down 46-20 at the end of the first quarter. The Bucks never let up, leading by as many as 36.
"They are a great first-quarter team," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "This game got out of hand quickly."
Milwaukee ended the night making a postseason franchise-record 22 threes on 53 attempts.
Bryn Forbes was an unexpected star for the Bucks, scoring 14 first-quarter points off the bench. He ended the night with 22 points and six threes in just 20 minutes after scoring five points in the Bucks' 109-107 overtime victory in Game 1.
Two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo had a strong overall game, finishing with 31 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, three steals and a block on 12-of-23 shooting.
Beyond the Heat's shooting struggles (33-of-82), the Bucks dominated them on the glass with a 61-36 edge overall and a 21-9 advantage on offensive rebounds.
Butler finished with just 10 points on 4-of-10 shooting, while Adebayo had 16 points. Surprisingly, Dewayne Dedmon led the Heat in scoring with 19, his highest total since February 2019 and a postseason career high.
The 2019-20 Eastern Conference champs will now need to win four of the next five games to make it out of the first round. Game 3 will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday in Miami.