Milwaukee Bucks need overtime to beat Miami Heat in Game 1: 3 takeaways

The Milwaukee Bucks survived the Miami Heat in overtime in Game 1 on Saturday afternoon.

While it was not pretty, the Milwaukee Bucks did just enough in the extra period to hold off a feisty Miami Heat team in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Playoff series.

Milwaukee was able to take Game 1 at Fiserv Forum thanks to a magnificent near-buzzer-beater out of the hands of Khris Middleton. Miami may have forced overtime, but Milwaukee escaped from Game 1 with a thrilling 109-107 victory over the Heat. Despite holding serve at Fiserv, the Bucks did not look like the No. 3 seed when the No. 6 seed gave them a run for their money.

Here are the three biggest takeaways from Game 1 between the Bucks and the Heat.

Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat in Game 1: 3 takeaways

3. Miami Heat need more offensive efficiency out of Jimmy Butler

The biggest reason Miami will take at least a game or two in this best-of-seven series is they almost stole Game 1 in Milwaukee, despite the Heat’s best player Jimmy Butler shooting poorly. Butler was an atrocious 4-of-22 from the field. Though he nearly had a triple-double, his plus/minus was -8 on the afternoon. He cannot play this inefficient on offense going forward.

2. Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free-throw woes are an issue for Milwaukee Bucks

Though Giannis Antetokounmpo had a double-double with 26 points and 18 rebounds, his free-throw shooting was abysmal. He only shot 6-of-13 from the charity stripe. This does not include the unbelievable free-throw violation call he got for taking to long to put one up. Though he will almost certainly make more than half of his free throws going forward, it could be Hack-a-Giannis.

1. Jrue Holiday could be a problem for Miami Heat on both ends of the floor

This biggest difference the Bucks have this season they did not a year ago is the addition of Jrue Holiday in their backcourt. Holiday had 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting, as well as hauling in 11 rebounds. While he only had three assists on the day, he played great defense to help slow down the Miami attack on the other end of the floor. His plus/minus of +10 was the best of Game 1.

Overall, this game lived up to expectations. While it is still a bit of a feeling-out period for both Eastern Conference teams, the good news is there is room for improvement when it comes to the two biggest stars on the hardwood. While Middleton was the Game 1 hero, whoever plays better between Butler and Antetokounmpo will see his team reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Milwaukee was able to hold off the Heat, but the Bucks had to play an extra period to do so.