In a preseason game where Giannis didn’t go and many of both teams’ regulars only played in the first half, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 103-93. Pete Nance led the Bucks with 15 points, while
Norman Powell led the Heat with 18.
Game Recap
It was a back-and-forth contest to start, with Kuz and AJ Green knocking the Bucks’ first two attempts in, followed by Myles Turner’s mid-range shot to open his account in the Cream City. On the other side, new Heat recruit Norman Powell wasted no time acquainting himself with six early points as the game was tied at 14 at the first timeout. Then in the second half of the quarter, Milwaukee’s “mosquito fleet” was subbed out there, with Cole Anthony and Ryan Rollins getting up in the Heat’s stuff and forcing multiple turnovers in the open floor. Encouraging stuff! Bucks led 30-23 after one.
The Bucks’ offence dried up a tad in the second and was being propped up in the early stages by two Gary Trent threes, for which he was awarded free throws. While wrecking on defence, the Anthony/Rollins/Prince triumvirate was struggling to create opportunities on offence. Cole Anthony, in particular, seemed to be finding his feet on a new team. Meanwhile, stormin’ Norman was getting busy for Miami once again, as was Nikola Jovic. The visitors’ lead going into the locker room was whittled down to just two at 51-49.
Both teams sat a lot of their main guys for the rest of the night, with Gary Harris and Amir Coffey getting their first minutes of the night for Milwaukee. Ryan Rollins was the primary offensive option for the Bucks in this lineup, and he played the role gracefully. Rollins was able to get downhill off handoff actions, while also spotting up and nailing two contested triples. From there, the game got a little ratty with lineups that hadn’t played with each other. The Bucks turned the ball over frequently, allowing the Heat to extend their lead briefly. However, Pete Nance wasn’t having it, going whackity whack from three a few times to bring the Bucks’ deficit to only three, 68-71, with a quarter to go.
Nance continued his excellent form into the fourth with a corner three and finish at the rim as the Bucks took an early lead. Kel’el Ware was able to exert his size on the Bucks’ smaller lineup, finishing around the rim and from long range. The game was close down the stretch, with Chris Livingston making a few nice plays in traffic, including multiple pull-up jumpers?! Jamaree Bouyea manned the point and was also serviceable in his minutes. The Bucks exploded with a 10-2 run to finish, winning the game in a good first hit out.
Stat That Stood Out
The stat that stood out to me was that the Bucks forced the Heat into 23 turnovers. Judging by Doc’s comments on media day, this was seemingly a goal for the upcoming season. The ball pressure and physicality were evident from the opening tip, even in a preseason game.
