Milwaukee knocked down 10 three-pointers in the first quarter, matching the NBA playoff record of most three's in the opening quarter.
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The Milwaukee Bucks made quick work of the Miami Heat on Monday night after a record-tying first quarter. Milwaukee knocked down 10 three-pointers in the opening quarter, matching the NBA play-offs record set by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016. After 12 minutes of action at Fiserv Forum, the Bucks owned a 26-point lead and they never looked back. Milwaukee ultimately dominated Miami throughout the game to come away with a 132-98 victory.
The Bucks knocked down 22 three-pointers as a team with Byrn Forbes leading the charge from beyond the arc with six self-made 3-pointers.
While Forbes led all bench scorers with 22 points, it was Giannis Antetokounmpo who paced the Bucks on the offensive end. He finished the win with 31 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
On the other end, the Heat struggled mightily from beyond the arc after setting a franchise playoff record for made 3-pointers in Game 1.
46 points in the 1st Q for Milwaukee.. and some DEFENSE from Pat Connaughton! ??#NBAPlayoffs on TNT pic.twitter.com/X91dcMINLv
— NBA (@NBA) May 25, 2021
That cold spell proved to be enough to decide this one. Miami were never really in it after the opening eight minutes of play.
The Bucks are switching so much more now that no single defender is ever responsible for what an opposing scorer does. However, Antetokounmpo has exceeded all expectations against Jimmy Butler so far.
Switching has protected him from chasing Butler over screens, an area in which he struggles. More than that, it’s a positive sign heading into Milwaukee’s far more difficult second-round series that would likely come against the Brooklyn Nets.
Antetokounmpo is one of the few players on Earth with the length to defend Kevin Durant. If Budenholzer is willing to throw him on Butler, he’ll likely take the same approach against Brooklyn’s superstars.
Jimmy Butler scored only five total points when guarded by Antetokounmpo in Game 1. In Game 2, not one of his four field goals came with Giannis guarding him.
In fact, Butler’s few successes offensively in Game 2 came when he managed to get Antetokounmpo switched off of him.
