Milwaukee Bucks 144-97 Miami Heat: 5 hits and flops as Khris Middleton explodes in 47-point blowout win | NBA 2020-21 Season
The Milwaukee Bucks were firing on all cylinders when they visited the Miami Heat on Tuesday. The Bucks administered an old-fashioned beatdown of the Heat with a surprisingly easy 144-97 victory during a very busy night in the NBA.
Miami Heat franchise player Jimmy Butler missed the game due to an ankle injury but his absence can’t explain why his team would fall so easily to the Bucks, who made NBA history by dropping 29 three-pointers in the game.
The Bucks were so dominant from the get-go that they nailed 16 three-pointers in the first half alone.
Who’s to blame for the Heat’s poor performance and who should be credited for the Bucks’ win?
Find out in our five hits and flops from the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat game:
Hit: Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks)
Khris Middleton led the Milwaukee Bucks with 25 points including four three-pointers and kept the Heat at bay with his timely buckets, most of them in the first half. He made 10-of-13 shots from the field and was a plus-25 for the game.
No one could stop Middleton who has been shooting the lights out this season.
Flop: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
How could any Milwaukee Bucks player be a flop in this game? When you’re the team’s franchise player and the reigning MVP two years in a row, you’re expected to lead your team to victory every game. And yet Giannis Antetokounmpo could only manage nine points on 3-of-9 shooting in 24 minutes.
Not only that, the Greek Freak was the only player among the 13 who played for the Bucks not to make a three-pointer.
Hit: Tyler Herro (Miami Heat)
The lone wolf on the Miami Heat squad was Tyler Herro. The sophomore swingman scored 20 points in the first half, and even though he couldn’t stave off the barrage of points being rained down on them by the Bucks, the Heat would’ve been down by 50 before halftime without his contributions.
Herro had 23 for the game in 33 minutes, making 9 of his 16 shots from the field. He added three rebounds and seven assists.
Flop: Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat)
This was supposed to be the year that Bam Adebayo elevated his game further to be mentioned among the game’s top 10 players. For the most part this season, he had shown flashes of that potential but this game brought him back to earth.
The Miami Heat center scored only 12 points and grabbed a mere six rebounds to indirectly help the opposing team’s cause. More than the offensive woes, it was Adebayo’s defense that was missing in this game.
Hit: Jrue Holiday (Milwaukee Bucks)
Jrue Holiday led the Milwaukee Bucks’ attack, draining six three-pointers to demoralize the Miami Heat’s point guards. Holiday had lots to apologize for after a poor showing against the New York Knicks on Sunday.
He made up for that by playing his best game as a Buck so far. He orchestrated Milwaukee’s offense to perfection, played excellent defense, and picked his spots perfectly. Aside from the points, Holiday added three rebounds, seven assists, three steals, and one block with no turnovers.
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