On Tuesday evening, the man, myth, and soon to be legend who dominates every position while playing on the hardwood picked up his fourth triple-double of the season. While doing so, he lifted his team to a 124-86 victory over the Miami Heat in front of a sold-out crowd at Fiserv Forum.
This was the second time this season that these two teams stepped on the same court. The first game was hosted by the Heat and Pat Riley left the arena with a smile on his face as his Heat played impeccable defense. Miami held the most offensive efficient team in the NBA to just 87 points in a game with an expected over/under of 215.5 points.
A suggested theory as to why the Bucks didn't perform their best in their first meeting was due to the game being a back-to-back in addition to a lack of rest. Supposedly, Milwaukee didn't land in Miami til 3:40 A.M. which probably took a toll on the players circadian rhythms.
Currently, these two teams have split the three game series at one a piece and will play one final time on March 15th. It will be the last game Wade steps on to the court at Fiserv Forum. The vibrant Bucks fanbase will give Wade a much respected standing ovation and it will be an exciting game to watch.
Middleton and co. got off to a slow start to begin the game, as they missed 9 of their first 10 field goals and gave up five early turnovers. Brook Lopez, the center, notched a pair of three-pointers which boosted the Bucks confidence and temp which led them to run off with a 7 point lead to end the first quarter.
It's becoming more and more common to see centers shooting from beyond the arc. Embiid started the trend when he came into the league a couple years ago. Before he entered the league, it was a rare sight to see and Dirk Nowitzki was the only three point shooting big man.
Milwaukee guards Bledsoe and Malcom Brogdon tallied most of the second quarter points and converted on a couple Miami turnovers. The Bucks outscored the Heat by 17 in the third quarter and went into the half with a promising 24 point advantage.
Justice Winslow and Hassan Whiteside tried bringing the game into reach in the third quarter but the Bucks simply outplayed them. Milwaukee had more shots falling and that was the differentiating factor.
Since the game was far out of reach in the final quarter, the benches played the majority of it. Sterling Night and Tony Snell had impressive performances combining for 23 of the Bucks total points. Every single Buck had points on the board when the night ended. Miami's forward James Johnson was the isolated player to not contribute on the offensive end, but he had two early blocks on Middleton and Antetokounmpo which made up for it.
Whiteside finished the game just two rebounds short of a double-double as he grabbed 8 boards and shot 8-10 for a total of 19 points. Winslow drained 19 points and dished out 5 assists with 5 rebounds. Wade had the most outstanding performance off the bench as he scored 9 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds.
Seven players, in aggregate, from Milwaukee finished the game with double-digits in the points column. Antetokounmpo had 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists and he picked the ball a team best three times. Eric Bledsoe finished the game with 17 and Malcom Brogdon finished with 16.
The Bucks are scheduled to play another back-to-back tonight against the Grizzlies in Memphis. Meanwhile, Miami will have two days to regroup and practice before they take on the Pistons in Detroit on Friday night. Both of these teams are looking to make a late climb in the Eastern Conference before All-Star weekend rolls around mid February.
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