More than the sudden early exit of Giannis Antetokounmpo due to a back contusion, the Milwaukee Bucks got key issues to handle moving forward following their 130-117 series opener loss against the Miami Heat.
Even having Defensive Player of the Year finalist Brook Lopez at their side, the Bucks failed to safeguard their interior, giving up 62 points in the paint. It was mostly Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo who took the lead for Miami in attacking the shades area, wherein the star duo combined for 57 total points on the Sunday win.
“We’ve got to guard their entire team better,” coach Mike Budenholzer said. “They kind of had twos, they had threes – they had everything tonight so credit to them. They played well.
Besides their interior, Milwaukee also found hardships in contesting Miami’s three-point shooting.
The Heat ranked 27th throughout the league this year in terms of three-point accuracy (34.4%), but they found magic touch against the Bucks and drained 15-of-26 treys from downtown, chipping in a highly efficient 60 percent mark.
“We gotta get some stops. Can’t let the Heat go 60 percent from the field and expect to win,” Wes Mattews said, per Eric Nehm of The Athletic.
The Bucks will look to improve their overall defense heading to Game 2 this Wednesday.
