Giannis, Khris Middleton Rally Bucks to Win Against Heat with Dominant 2nd Half

Kim Klement/Associated Press

The Milwaukee Bucks snapped a two-game losing skid with a 130-116 victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday in Orlando, Florida. 

With the win, the Bucks clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Heat jumped out to a 34-25 lead after the first quarter and led by as many as 23 points in the second quarter. The absences of Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic may have proved pivotal, though, as Milwaukee’s defense went up a level to fuel the comeback.

Notable Stats

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF, Bucks: 13-17 FG, 33 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, one block 

Khris Middleton, SF, Bucks: 9-14 FG, 33 points, six rebounds, eight assists

Brook Lopez, C, Bucks: 4-9 FG, 17 points, four rebounds, two steals, two blocks

Tyler Herro, SG, Heat: 6-12 FG, 20 points, four rebounds, five assists, one steal

Duncan Robinson, SG, Heat: 7-11 FG, 21 points, one rebound, one assist

Andre Iguodala, SG, Heat: 4-8 FG, 12 points, seven rebounds, eight assists

Bucks Flip the Switch in Second Half

One danger of the NBA restart is that teams with their postseason fortunes largely assured may not be motivated to approach each of the eight seeding games with a sense of urgency. The Bucks headed to Orlando with the knowledge they’ll be the East’s No. 1 team barring a total collapse.

The Cleveland Cavaliers showed during their run of four straight NBA Finals that it’s possible for a team to look completely disjointed one night and then turn into a powerhouse when it really matters.

Based on Thursday’s game, Milwaukee might possess the same capability. The Bucks allowed 73 first-half points for the second straight contest to raise serious alarm bells. Then they came out with a completely different effort level to open the third quarter.

That the Bucks could so quickly turn the tide is encouraging with respect to their status as a title contender. The obvious key is avoiding the kind of flat first half that results in such a Jekyll and Hyde performance.

Khris Middleton was one of the few constants over all four quarters. Milwaukee’s first-half deficit might have been even larger if he hadn’t gone off for 16 points.

His hot shooting carried over into the second half as the Bucks chipped away at the lead.

Middleton took the scoring burden off Giannis Antetokounmpo long enough for the reigning MVP to take over the game late and eliminate any doubt about the result.

Heat Send Warning Sign to Milwaukee

The best way to explain the opening two quarters is that Bam Adebayo connected on a three-pointer at the buzzer to end the half.

Many viewed this game through the prism of a possible playoff matchup since Milwaukee and Miami could potentially cross paths in the second round. The Boston Celtics weren’t ultimately a tough challenge for the Bucks in the second round last year, but the Heat could be a different story.

The absence of Butler left Miami without a true go-to scorer. The team compensated by getting strong contributions across the board. Bam Adebayo and Solomon Hill were the only players who failed to hit double figures in scoring before head coach Erik Spoelstra emptied the bench.

The Heat buried the Bucks under a three-point barrage.

Miami’s offense cooled off in the fourth quarter, which allowed the Bucks to pull away. To some extent, the outcome was decided by the fact one team had its best player and the other team didn’t.

Even with Butler, the Heat would be big underdogs against the Bucks. However, they could at least be the kind of nuisance that pushes Milwaukee deeper than head coach Mike Budenholzer would like that early into the playoffs.

What’s Next?

The Heat and Bucks are both in action again Saturday. Miami plays the Phoenix Suns at 7:30 p.m., and Milwaukee follows shortly after at 8:30 p.m. ET against the Dallas Mavericks.