Milwaukee Bucks notebook: Game 1 loss to Heat was frustrating

The Milwaukee Bucks can never make things easy, as they drop Game 1 in the first round of the NBA playoffs to the pesky Miami Heat.

The two teams tip-off again on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Until then, here are my takeaways and notes from Game 1.

• The damn double outlier shooting game. Miami drilled 60 percent of their threes (15-for-25), and Milwaukee couldn’t hit the broad sign of a barn, making a measly 24.4 percent (11-for-45). As someone on Twitter pointed out, this happens to the Bucks far too often, negating the thought it’s actually an outlier. It is frustrating this seems to happen to Milwaukee more than anyone else.

Here are notes and takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks’ frustrating Game 1 loss to the Miami Heat in the first round of the NBA playoffs.

• The game was lost behind the arc. The Bucks were elite around the rim (12-for-13) and great in the mid-range (22-for-33). If they would’ve made their season average of 36.8 percent, they would’ve won by five.
• The Bucks were outscored by 10 points in the last two minutes of the second and third quarters combined. That’s your ballgame right there.
• Milwaukee’s drop coverage, which helped them win an NBA Championship just two years ago, was exploited time and time again. Miami knew the coverage Milwaukee was going to run and was fully prepared. Jimmy Butler got going first, then the threes started falling, ending with Bam Adebayo hitting mid-range jumpers in the second half. Brook Lopez and the passive defensive scheme were at the heart of it all.

• Miami was punished on the offensive glass in their first play-in game against the Heat. The Bucks have been more assertive in that area this season. The Heat beautifully countered by leaking out Butler, giving him several uncontested shots in transition.
• Turnovers also hurt Milwaukee. They did a decent job overall protecting the rock–just 13 turnovers–but Miami turned those into 20 points. Some of them were very similar to the leak outs previously mentioned.
• Miami also focused on shutting Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks down in transition. Milwaukee only scored six fast break points all game.
• Speaking of Giannis, he suffered a scary injury in the first quarter that had him ruled out for the game shortly after. Kevin Love dangerously undercut Antetokounmpo as he escalated for a shot at the rim. In about an hour in real-time, the NBA saw two of its biggest stars–Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant–get injured on a very similar non-basketball play. They must review this in the offseason and eliminate it from the game.
• Antetokounmpo’s MRI came back clean, but his status is up in the air for Game 2. We’ll see how he reacts Monday and Tuesday.
• The Bucks had a clean bill of health heading into Game 1, but that didn’t even last one quarter. Everyone else appeared to finish the game in good health, fortunately.
• Jevon Carter was hesitant to shoot the ball (except when he had a two-on-one opportunity on a fast break where he took a pull-up three). There were multiple times he would’ve pulled the trigger in the regular season on a good look, only to pass up the opportunity.
• Bobby Portis punished Miami’s small defenders and finished with 21 points and eight rebounds. He was 0-for-5 behind the arc, but 9-10 inside it.
• Jrue Holiday didn’t have his shot working but was an excellent facilitator. He probed the defense and dished out 16 assists.
• Khris Middleton squashed any fears about his health. He was excellent, controlled the game on offense, and found his spots. He finished 12-for-20 for a team-high 33 points.
• Milwaukee tried some zone defense with about three minutes remaining in the second quarter. It looked like a version of a 3-2, but was extremely soft in the middle. Butler received the ball at the free throw line on almost every possession and attacked Lopez one-on-one around the rim.

• Miami had an answer every time the Bucks went on a run. There were several times the Bucks cut the lead to a one-possession game, only to see the Heat respond and rebuild it back to the 8-13 range.