Bucks Praised by Fans for Routing Jimmy Butler, Heat with Giannis Out Due To Injury

The No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference is on the board in the 2023 NBA playoffs.

The Milwaukee Bucks evened their first-round series against the Miami Heat at one apiece with a 138-122 victory in Wednesday's Game 2 at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee didn't have Giannis Antetokounmpo because of a back injury, but Jrue Holiday (24 points, 11 assists and five rebounds), Brook Lopez (25 points) and Pat Connaughton (22 points) were among the seven players in double figures.

Miami, which was also missing a key piece with Tyler Herro sidelined with a broken hand, received 25 points from Jimmy Butler and can at least take solace knowing it stole home-court advantage with a split in the first two games.

Still, social media was focused on praising the Bucks for their convincing win that included 25 made three-pointers:

Antetokounmpo's absence was the biggest storyline coming into the contest and put pressure on the supporting cast to avoid a daunting 2-0 hole.

It's safe to say they answered the bell.

The home team essentially put the game away by halftime with a commanding 26-point advantage. Lopez was unstoppable inside, Holiday caught fire with his own shot while also setting up his teammates, Connaughton and Joe Ingles provided a spark off the bench, Khris Middleton and Grayson Allen hit shots, and Bobby Portis controlled the boards with a double-double.

There wasn't much drama left after intermission, as Milwaukee used its balanced attack and red-hot shooting to counter any spurt from the Heat other than a meaningless one in the fourth quarter.

The Bucks looked the part of a No. 1 seed in championship-or-bust mode that shook off the early postseason rust and perhaps found their rhythm moving forward for the rest of the playoffs.

And the scary thing for the Heat is they may be even better for Saturday's Game 3 in Miami if Antetokounmpo returns.