Saturday’s matchup may have been a first-round preview of the NBA playoffs. The Miami Heat entered the game without their best player in Jimmy Butler. Without Butler, it ended up being an even tougher task. The Milwaukee Bucks led the entire way thanks to a balanced attack. With Saturday’s loss, Miami now falls to sixth in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bucks remain third in the conference. If the playoffs started today, both teams will face each other in the first round.
Here are my three takeaways from Saturday’s loss to Milwaukee.
No Butler
Butler missed his 19th game of the season with lower-back tightness. The announcement came one hour before tipoff. The Heat moved Nemanja Bjelica in the starting lineup to replace him. This marked the 25th different starting lineup for the Heat this season. Butler has missed all three Heat games against the Bucks this season. It’s been clear all season that Miami cannot survive without Butler. Miami is now 6-13 without its leading scorer this season. On the other hand, they’re 33-19 when he plays.
Heat Down Early
It got out of hand for the Heat early in the game. Miami fell behind by 17 in the first period, with the Bucks shooting 70 percent from the field. The Bucks took advantage of the Heat down low in the paint, where they outscored Miami 22-6. Miami had no answer for Milwaukee’s tall frontcourt. Whenever Miami switched a smaller guard on a big, the Bucks made them pay. Milwaukee finished the first period with 44 points.
Nunn Better
Like Butler, Kendrick Nunn was also listed as questionable prior to tipoff. However, Nunn remained in the starting lineup and played through his calf injury. He was the only Heat player productive early on, scoring 11 points on 4-4 shooting. He continued to be aggressive throughout the whole game by attacking the paint. Nunn was also hot from beyond the arc shooting 4-5 from downtown. Nunn finished the game with 31 points on 13-18 shooting from the field.
Next up: The Detroit Pistons on Sunday. The game tips off at 8 pm eastern.
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