If the Milwaukee Bucks want to even their first-round Eastern Conference playoff series with the visiting Miami Heat on Wednesday night, they’ll have to do so without superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Originally listed as doubtful by the Bucks on the eve of the game, Antetokounmpo was upgraded to questionable on Wednesday afternoon before coach Mike Budenholzer officially ruled the two-time MVP out due to a back injury about 90 minutes before tipoff.
A painful Game 1 on Sunday saw both Heat star guard Tyler Herro and Antetokounmpo leave Miami’s 130-117 victory with injuries. Herro was officially ruled out for Game 2 on Tuesday due to a broken right hand.
Miami hadn’t identified how Herro’s role would be filled, coach Eric Spoelstra said, but point guard Kyle Lowry should be able to contribute despite knee soreness. Lowry officially was listed as questionable but said Wednesday he was ready to roll.
Herro had 12 points in 19 minutes on Sunday before he was hurt.
“The biggest thing is he had a smile on his face and he wasn’t discouraged about what happened to him,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said of Herro’s reaction to the X-rays. “I feel like that’s the biggest thing you can bring to the team after a ‘W.'”
Caleb Martin, who started 49 of Miami’s first 59 games during the regular season, and Duncan Robinson, who started the second half of Game 1 in Herro’s place, are considered the leading candidates to jump up a slot in the Heat rotation.
Antetokounmpo sustained a lower-back/tailbone injury late in the first quarter and missed the rest of the game. X-rays were negative. Even though the big man won’t be suiting up on Wednesday, Budenholzer still has faith in his team.
“(We were) hopeful that he would play and also aware that he might not,” Budenholzer said. “The guys are ready. The group’s focused and in a good place.”
Antetokounmpo had six points and three rebounds in a little less than 11 minutes of action during Game 1, when the Bucks were outshot 59.5 percent to 49.5 percent.
The big difference in shooting percentages was a result of Miami going 15-for-25 on 3-pointers, while the Bucks were just 11-for-45. Gabe Vincent (4-for-5) and Kevin Love (4-for-7) were the Heat’s top guns from deep.
The 60-percent accuracy on threes was a season-best for the Heat and equaled their second-best ever in a playoff game. They shot 8-for-11 (72.7 percent) in an overtime win at Toronto in 2016.
Meanwhile, it also was a season-high allowed by the Bucks this year and the highest since the Phoenix Suns scorched Milwaukee for 13-for-19 on threes (68.4 percent) in Game 5 of the 2021 NBA Finals.
Jimmy Butler finished with 35 points and Adebayo chipped in with 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the win, which was the Heat’s third in five meetings with the Bucks this season, but their first in Milwaukee.
Khris Middleton had 33 points and Jrue Holiday a 16-point, 16-assist double-double in a losing cause for the Bucks, who haven’t fallen behind 2-0 in a playoff series since the 2021 Finals against the Suns, a best-of-seven Milwaukee won by sweeping the final four games.
–Field Level Media
