Milwaukee Bucks take 2-0 lead with hot shooting night against Miami Heat
Game 1 of the first-round series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat was a rock fight, with both teams struggling to score.
In Game 2, one team's offense showed up, and the other team was left searching for answers.
The Bucks caught fire from 3-point range early Monday and didn't look back, beating the Heat 132-98 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Here is how the Bucks seized control of this series.
Key performer: Giannis Antetokounmpo
Game 1 was an uncharacteristically inefficient shooting night from Antetokounmpo, who went 10-for-27 from the field for 26 points.
Game 2 was not a repeat of those struggles, with the reigning two-time MVP returning to form in dominant fashion.
Antetokounmpo didn't need to play heavy minutes, given the nature of the game, but he made his minutes count while filling up the stat sheet for 31 points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
Turning point: Tipoff
This one was pretty much over from the jump, with the Bucks coming out with something to prove in the first quarter.
They led 46-20 at the end of the first period, thanks to a 29-10 run that broke the game open, and they put this one away seemingly before it had even started.
As a team, the Bucks exploded from 3-point range in the first quarter, making 10 on their way to breaking the franchise record for 3-pointers in a playoff half. They made 15 3s in the first two quarters Monday.
The Bucks made a total of 22 3-pointers on the night.
Wild card: Bryn Forbes
Miami's scouting report probably had Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday at the top, but those three were not the ones who burned the Heat in Game 2.
That was none other than reserve guard Bryn Forbes, who had the shooting half of a lifetime Monday night.
In the first quarter, Forbes scored 14 points while making four of his five 3-point attempts en route to a 19-point first half.
With so much attention on the Bucks' top three scoring options, Forbes and the rest of the team's role players will continue to get open shots, and if they can shoot the way they did in Game 2, it will be an uphill battle for the Heat to win this series.
Twitter's take:
Did you know?
The last time the Bucks had a 2-0 lead in a playoff series was the 2019 Eastern Conference finals. They then lost four straight games to drop the series 4-2 to the eventual champion Toronto Raptors.
They are hoping this series will have a much different result.
What's next?
The Bucks handled home court on their end, and now the Heat return to Miami, where they will host the next two games and try to make this a series.
Game 3 will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday.
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