Everything looked good for the Milwaukee Bucks at the end of the first quarter, as they took a 40-29 lead. However, the Miami Heat had no intention of lying down.
Goran Dragic (19 PTS, 2 AST, 2 REB in the first half) had a good offensive first half, using his deep pool of skills to get buckets all over the place.
The Heat were efficient with scoring off turnovers which let them keep it close – even with the Bucks shooting 9 of 17 from three. They also attacked the basket relentlessly, shooting 13 of 15 from the free throw line.
Free throws were a problem for the bucks in the first half, as they shot 8 of 14 (57.1%).
Khris Middleton (21 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST in the first half) was on fire from beyond the arc in the first half, as was Brook Lopez (19 PTS, 1 REB, 1 BLK in the first half). Both made three of their four first half shots.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (9 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST in the first half) picked up his third foul late in the first half, forcing him to sit out.
The first half ended 63-60 in Milwaukee’s favor, setting up an intense battle for the second half.
This is the kind of game where Jimmy Butler really shows his value. He had a quiet first half, but then scored 12 points in a row for the Heat in the third quarter to help them take an 80-78 lead, their first since the opening quarter.
By the end of the third quarter, the Heat’s intensity had given them a 92-86 lead, a big turnaround from the 11-point deficit they faced at the end of the first quarter.
The final stanza started off with intense defense, with both teams trading turnovers in the first three minutes as they hounded each other.
The second half simply belonged to Butler. While he doesn’t normally shoot a lot of jumpers, he hit a couple of big threes, including a deep dagger that gave the Heat a 104-98 lead with under three minutes left in the game. He then hit a turnaround jumper from the top of the key to push the lead to 106-98. He then pushed it to 111-101 with another one. He then hit a layup to bring the lead 113-104 with less than a minute left, and instantly stole the ball on the next possession and drew a foul and hit both free throws for the final 115-104 scoreline.
It’s very difficult to be the best player on the floor when the opposing team has the Greek Freak (who was one assist shy of a triple-double), but Butler was the man tonight. He finished with 40 points, four rebounds, two assists, two steals, one block, and three turnovers. Dragic was second in scoring for the Heat with 27 points and five assists.
The Bucks, who had the league’s best offense in the regular season, were held to an uncharacteristically low points total. They’re going to be very disappointed with how badly they shot free throws, particularly Antetokounmpo. While they’ll remember that they beat the Orlando Magic 4-1 after dropping their first game, the Heat are a much better team.
Heat free throws were also a huge part of their victory, as they shot 25 of 27 from the charity stripe.
Thunder force a Game 7
The Oklahoma City Thunder made a great run at forcing a Game 7 against the Houston Rockets, even taking a two point lead into the fourth quarter, which they increased to eight.
However, the Rockets, as they are known to do, used a big 10-0 scoring run in the last quarter to suddenly surge to a 94-91 lead with 5:33 left in the game.
A pivotal exchange happened with 4:19 left, when PJ Tucker took a charge and then Chris Paul was hit with a technical, allowing the Rockets to make it 98-92 and hold onto possession.
The Thunder answered with their own run, and with 2:04 left the game was tied at 98-98. The Rockets got a crucial stop and then took the lead thanks to Russell Westbrook, which was immediately answered by Dennis Schroder with exactly a minute left.
Neither team was able to score until Chris Paul was fouled with 13.1 seconds left, and he didn’t hesitate to make it a 102-100 game. Westbrook then turned over the ball with a bad pass after making a drive. Dario Gallinari made it 104-100 with 3.8 seconds left.
