Miami Heat send shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks packing with Game 5 win

The Miami Heat eliminated the shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks from the 2020 NBA Playoffs.

Playing without the reigning MVP was always going to be a tall task for the league-leading Milwaukee Bucks. Despite their best efforts without Giannis Antetokounmpo, the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference was eliminated from their second-round series of the 2020 NBA Playoffs with a Game 5 loss against the Miami Heat on Tuesday.

While the Bucks kept it close late in the fourth quarter, the shooting struggles of Khris Middleton and Eric Bledsoe ultimately proved to be too much. A Goran Dragic step-back jumper with 1:14 proved to be the dagger, giving the Heat a 7-point lead and all but wrapping the series up.

What else happened in Game 5 between the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat?

The Greek Freak, who sat out Tuesday’s game with a right ankle sprain and will most likely be awarded with his second straight MVP award soon, now faces an offseason full of questions about his future in Milwaukee, though he still has another year remaining on his contract.

Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists, Dragic chipped in 17 points and Jae Crowder added 16 points on 4-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Tyler Herro, who had a big fourth quarter, finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists off the bench.

Middleton led the way for the Bucks with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists but was a paltry 8-for-25 from the field and 2-for-9 from 3-point range. Donte DiVincenzo followed up with 17 points, while Brook Lopez added 15 points and 14 rebounds. Bledsoe, meanwhile, struggled to the tune of 9 points and 9 assists on 2-of-12 shooting.

The Bucks came out with a sense of urgency to keep their season alive, leading by as many as 13 points in the first quarter and carrying a 28-19 lead into the second quarter. But the Heat quickly responded with a 13-4 run of their own to tie the game back up, and they ultimately outscored Milwaukee 33-18 in the period to take a 6-point lead into the break.

Miami slightly extended that advantage to 8 points heading into the fourth quarter, at which point Tyler Herro decided to end Milwaukee’s season with a barrage of backbreaking plays, including a pair of pretty assists to Andre Iguodala and Bam Adebayo, a block on Middleton and a 3-point play on a layup to push Miami’s lead to 10 points with about 6 minutes to go.

Milwaukee’s last gasp came over the next few minutes, with the top seed in the East cutting the deficit to 4 with 2:05 remaining. But Butler made 6 straight free throws over the next few possessions to keep the Bucks at bay.

Miami ultimately took care of business at the foul line to stymie any desperation comeback, finishing the game 22-for-24 from the charity stripe as a team. The Heat will now advance to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the winner of the Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors, while the Bucks face an offseason of questions, including what they should do with head coach Mike Budenholzer, who was simply outclassed by Erik Spoelstra throughout this series.