Heat respond with a 121-99 victory over Bucks in Game 3, take 2-1 series lead
Jimmy Butler, who got injured in the third quarter, led Miami with 30 points in 28 minutes.
Knotted up at one game apiece, the Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks met Saturday for Game 3 in the first round of the 2022-23 playoffs inside Kaseya Center, the second consecutive game without Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Fortunately enough for Miami, after its disastrous Game 2, it persevered — responding with a 121-99 victory.
Miami was led by Jimmy Butler, who injured his glute in the third quarter. He still finished with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in 28 minutes, shooting 12-of-19 from the floor and 4-of-4 from 3-point range.
Duncan Robinson — who turned 29-years-old Saturday — knocked down five 3-pointers en route to 20 points in 24 minutes. Kyle Lowry provided 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting; Caleb Martin tallied 12 points and 11 boards on 4-of-8 shooting; Bam Adebayo also had a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double with a pair of steals while Max Strus contributed 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in 23 minutes.
Khris Middleton tallied a team-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting for Milwaukee, adding five rebounds, six assists and two steals. Jrue Holiday posted 19 points on 8-of-18 shooting, while Grayson Allen finished with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
The Heat shot 53.6 percent and 16-of-33 (48.5 percent) from deep; Milwaukee shot 44.7 percent and 15-of-39 (38.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
The attention will now go to the injury statuses of Butler, Oladipo — who suffered a left knee injury in the final five minutes **sad face** and Antetokounmpo heading into Game 4.
Not many could say they predicted the 8-seeded Heat to be up 2-1 against the top-seeded Bucks, but the job is nowhere near close to being finished for either side yet. Game 4 will be Monday at 7:30 ET on TNT.
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates.
I am very proud of the Heat team/players. They are true warriors. Despite being down all year and being constantly critized for one thing or another by many of us, they have stayed focussed and committed to doing their best...giving their all. They may not be the most talented team in the NBA, but they have the biggest hearts. They may have a very difficult time winning this series, much less the NBA Title, but they have undoubtedly won the hearts of many new fans. It isn't always about winning or losing, to many fans, it's how you play the game. The Heat play the game the right way. They give 100% of what they have...every single game. Hopefully, Herro and Victor will be able to recover from their injuries and be "good to go" sooner than later. Meanwhile, it's time for "next man up" and for the guys to give it everything they have and let the chips fall where they may. GO HEAT!!!
And of, course, a warm welcome to all star version of Duncan Robinson, which was missing for a long time.