Shorthanded Bucks avoid sweep with Game 4 overtime win over Heat
It looked like the Miami Heat was on its way to sweeping the Milwaukee Bucks.
Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo exited Sunday’s game early in the second quarter after re-injuring the right ankle he sprained in Game 3, and he did not return. The Heat also led by eight points with 8:42 to play in regulation.
But Miami could not finish Milwaukee off, as the shorthanded Bucks escaped with a 118-115 overtime win in Game 4 at the NBA’s Disney campus to avoid the second-round sweep. Sunday’s defeat marked the Heat’s first loss of the playoffs after opening the postseason with seven consecutive wins.
The Heat still holds a 3-1 series lead, with Game 5 set for Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. Miami is one win away from clinching its first appearance in the conference finals since 2014.
“Look, you have to credit Milwaukee in this game,” coach Erik Spoelstra said after Sunday’s loss. “I thought in the fourth quarter when we went up six, we had a chance to steal this game. But the reality is they deserved to win the game. They were playing harder.”
With Milwaukee ahead by just one point, All-Star Khris Middleton hit a clutch three-pointer over two Heat defenders to give the Bucks a four-point advantage with 6.9 seconds remaining in overtime.
Heat rookie Tyler Herro responded with a three-pointer of his own with 3.4 seconds left in overtime to cut the Bucks’ lead to one, but Middleton made two free throws after an intentional foul to push Milwaukee’s lead back up to three. With no timeouts remaining to advance the ball and just two seconds left, the Heat didn’t have enough time to get another good look at the basket as time expired.
Even without Antetokounmpo for most of the game, the Bucks kept fighting and managed to keep the score close the entire way. Middleton stepped up to score 21 of his game-high 36 points in the third quarter.
Still, the Heat was in position to get the win with a one-point lead and just seconds to play in regulation.
But facing a one-point deficit and elimination, Bucks reserve Donte DiVincenzo was fouled on a drive to the basket with 1.9 seconds to play in the fourth quarter. DiVincenzo made one of the two free throws to tie the game at 107 and force overtime.
Heat All-Star center Bam Adebayo was dominant in the loss with a new playoff career-high of 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, to go along with 12 rebounds and eight assists. Miami’s other All-Star Jimmy Butler finished Game 4 with 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting, five rebounds and two assists.
After missing Game 3 because of a bruised right knee, Heat reserve center Kelly Olynyk played Sunday and finished with three points, four rebounds and three assists in 10 minutes. Miami’s only player who missed Game 4 because of an injury was rookie center Chris Silva (left pubic bone stress fracture).
For the Bucks, Antetokounmpo exited the game with 10:17 remaining in the second quarter after turning his injured ankle on a drive to the basket. Before limping off the court early in the second quarter, the reigning MVP was in the middle of a dominant performance with 19 of the Bucks’ first 30 points.
Antetokounmpo’s status for Game 5 is still unclear. He was seen by reporters at Disney with a protective boot on his right ankle following Sunday’s contest.
This story was originally published September 6, 2020 at 6:34 PM.
