MILWAUKEE — A phenomenal regular season for the Milwaukee Bucks was overshadowed by a daunting first-round series against a Miami Heat club that became the sixth No. 8 seed to upset a No. 1 seed during a 128-126 overtime loss in Game Five.
The Bucks were in the driver’s seat through the third quarter, but Miami outscored the Bucks 32-16 in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Heat star Jimmy Butler hit a surreal floater with 0.5 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
It was business as usual for Giannis Antetokounmpo, who finished with 38 points, 20 rebounds and three assists in 42 minutes. Despite stuffing the stat sheet, Giannis shot just 10-for-23 from the free-throw line and turned the ball over seven times in the contest.
PREVIOUS GAME: Bucks fall behind 3-1 to Heat as Butler overcomes Giannis’ return
As a team, Milwaukee shot 46.2% from the field and made 14 of their 33 shot attempts from beyond the 3-point line. The only other Bucks players to make at least half of their field goal attempts were Pat Connaughton (3-for-3, seven points) and Brook Lopez (18 points, 10 rebounds on 7-of-11 shooting).
Despite shooting just 41.7% from the field, Khris Middleton had a solid all-around performance with 33 points, six assists and six rebounds. Now 31 years old, Middleton has a $40 million player option this offseason, meaning he could choose to become a restricted free agent. Seven other Bucks players including Brook Lopez, Joe Ingles and Jae Crowder will enter the summer as unrestricted free agents.
Butler finished with 42 points in the contest and Heat big man Bam Adebayo had a triple-double of 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
RELATED COVERAGE FROM WTMJ — HOME OF THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS:
- EXTRA POINTS: Are the Bucks approaching the end of an era?
- Do the Milwaukee Bucks have a candidate for every NBA Award?
- Bucks co-owner Lasry sells stake to Browns owner at $3.5B valuation
- Milwaukee Bucks announce schedule for first round of the NBA Playoffs
- Bucks emulate winning culture from coach Budenholzer’s history with the Spurs
BUCKS IN 6:00: Recapping every game of the Bucks’ 2023 Playoff run in six minutes
