Bucks Zone

3 takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' 108-102 loss to the Miami Heat

With Giannis sidelined, the Bucks couldn't muster enough offense to take down the Heat.
Matthew Dugandzic|
© Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

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In a battle between two severely-shorthanded squads, the Miami Heat got the best of the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-102, to hand the latter their 10th road loss of the season. The Bucks played without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and fellow starters Khris Middleton and Grayson Allen, who suffered a sprained ankle on Wednesday night's win over the Atlanta Hawks. Also sidelined were Serge Ibaka and Joe Ingles. Here are three takeaways from the Bucks' loss to the Heat.

Fatigue setting in?

Playing the back end of a back-to-back, Milwaukee showed early that they still had some gas left in the tank as they led by as much as 15 in the first half. However, Miami easily caught up and even briefly took the lead late in the second quarter, 45-43, after two free-throws by Heat star Jimmy Butler. Miami then took over the game with a 12-2 run to end the third with a 78-73 lead—something they did not give up until the final buzzer.

“It was one of those games where we made some shots early, we missed some shots late, I thought there was some fatigue that set in from the back-to-back which can happen from time to time,” Bucks forward Pat Connaughton said.

Lopez struggles

With Antetokounmpo out, much of the heavy lifting was left in the hands of All-Stars Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez. Holiday kept his stellar play going with 24 points and 11 assists.

However, Lopez dropped the ball in this game, finishing with just six points. The big man was off all night long, missing 10 of his 12 shots. He added three rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Fortunately, other players stepped up to help the Bucks stay in the game until the end. Jevon Carter, Jordan Nwora, and AJ Green came off the bench and lit it up from beyond the arc, making a combined 15 trifectas. Carter made six three-pointers and scored 18, Nwora had 16, while Green chipped in 15 for the Bucks.

The Bucks lost the battle inside the shaded lane

Milwaukee is the league's best rebounding team, while Miami is ranked 28th in that category. At the game's end, the Heat won the rebounding battle by a wide margin, 61-39. Miami also had their way inside the paint, outscoring Milwaukee 58-18, including this tremendous slam by Bam Adebayo.

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.