This time, the Miami Heat are the hunters. After the Milwaukee Bucks swept them in last year’s playoffs, the Heat had this game circled on their calendar and were certainly prepared for it. Miami made their presence felt from start with aggressive defense, and jumped out to a 22-3 run to start the game. Miami was in complete control throughout the game and never looked back.
The game was wrapped up by the third period, as Milwaukee pulled their starters midway through the quarter. Miami ended the night with a 42 point victory. With the win, they begin the season 1-0..
Here are the three biggest takeaways from Thursday’s win over the Bucks.
Scoring team?
When you look at this roster, the first word that jumps out is toughness. Outside of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson, the rotation is filled with tough defensive-minded players. However, the Heat proved they can score the ball, as well. The team put up 72 points at halftime. It was not just one guy putting up huge numbers, either. The scoring was spread out evenly. You can expect more of this throughout the season. Some nights it will be Jimmy Butler leading the way in scoring. Other nights it might be Herro. Overall, the team is not going to score 137 points every night. As long as they can put points up the board, they should be good.
Bam Adebayo’s aggressive start
If there’s one Heat player who wanted this game, it was Adebayo. He struggled against the Bucks this past postseason; during that t, Bam was very indecisive on the offensive end. He wasn’t on Thursday night. After stealing the ball, Bam pushed the ball up the floor and scored off a floater. A couple of possessions later, he hit Giannis Antetokounmpo with a jab step and converted on a jumper. By halftime, he scored 14 points. Milwaukee definitely missed Brook Lopez‘s presence in the paint. Regardless, Bam needs to continue this aggressiveness all season.
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Bam finished the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Herro Ball
One of the questions coming into the season was whether Herro can continue his preseason performance. After all, he’s going to be tasked with leading the second unit without Victor Oladipo. Herro certainly came to play against the Bucks and was on the attack all night. The Heat’s young guard had no issue drawing contact and maneuvering his way to the basket. Herro’s outside game was good tonight with him shooting four of eight from downtown. His playmaking skills were also on display with the second unit. Even when Butler and Lowry were on the floor with him, they both had no issue playing off the ball. If Herro continues to play at this level all season, Miami will be in an excellent spot.
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Herro finished with a game-high 27 points on 10 of 18 shooting from the field, six rebounds, and five assists.
Next up: The Indiana Pacers. The game tips off at 7:30 pm eastern time.
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