Bucks Zone

The Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Miami Heat in Game 3

The Heat are now up 2-1 in the series after a 121-99 Game 3 victory.
Matthew Dugandzic|
The Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Miami Heat in Game 3
The Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks lose to the Miami Heat in Game 3

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Miami HeatMilwaukee Bucks

Hounded by back issues, Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his second straight game as the Milwaukee Bucks lost Game 3 against the Miami Heat on Saturday night.

The Heat, thus, took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and will try to build what could be a commanding 3-1 series lead when they host Game 4 on Tuesday night. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 30 points, while Duncan Robinson marked his 29th birthday with a 20-point performance.

But the Heat victory came with a price, as Victor Oladipo was helped off the court after he suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter. Butler also left the game due to back soreness after a hard fall in the third.

Kyle Lowry added 15 points for the Heat, who had six players scoring in double figures.

Not enough production

The Bucks didn’t have the balanced attack that they had in their 138-122 Game 2 win, where they had seven players scoring in double figures.

Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 23 points. Jrue Holiday, Grayson Allen, and Pat Connaughton were the only other Milwaukee players to score in double digits with 19, 14, and 11, respectively.

Brook Lopez, who finished with a team-high 25 points in Game 2, only scored six in the 121-99 loss—he shot 3-for-9 from the field and only grabbed three rebounds.

After tying an NBA record with 25 triples in Game 2, the Bucks struggled from deep, hitting just 15 of their 39 long-range attempts.

Cold from 3

Milwaukee looked good from the three-point area in the first half, where they shot 10-for-18. However, they lost their shooting touch in the second half, where they only converted five of their 21 attempts from behind the arc.

The Heat led after the first quarter, 29-21, and took control from that point on. Miami was actually up in every quarter and led by as many as 29 points.

Published
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.