Bucks 'hold down fort' without Giannis, pull even

MILWAUKEE — The morning before Game 2 of the Milwaukee Bucks‘ first-round series with the Miami Heat, when star Giannis Antetokounmpo was still questionable to play because of a lower back contusion, guard Jrue Holiday imparted a message to the team’s two-time MVP.

“I know you’re going to want to come back,” Holiday recalled telling Antetokounmpo. “But if you don’t, just know, we got you.”

Indeed, the Bucks did. Despite missing Antetokounmpo for Game 2 on Wednesday night, the Bucks made up for his absence with a record offensive performance. Milwaukee knocked down 25 3-pointers in its 138-122 victory over the Heat, tying an NBA record for 3s in a playoff game.

The Bucks had seven players finish in double figures, including six players who scored at least 15 points, matching another NBA record.

“It takes the whole team; I think you saw that tonight,” Bucks forward Khris Middleton said. “It wasn’t just one guy that carried us. A lot of people might expect me or Jrue to take on all the load that Giannis does, but what he does, we can’t match. We have to do it by committee.”

The series is tied 1-1. Game 3 is Saturday night in Miami.

Without their leading scorer, the Bucks scored their most points in a playoff game since 1978, made their most 3-pointers in a playoff game in team history and had their most assists in a playoff game since ’78, according to research by ESPN Stats & Information.

Brook Lopez paced the Bucks with 25 points. Holiday finished with 24 points and 11 assists. Bobby Portis stepped into the starting lineup in place of Antetokounmpo and put up 13 points with 15 rebounds. After not playing in Game 1, Pat Connaughton came off the bench to score 22 points.

“We think we have the best player in the world, but we think we have the best guys around him. The best team,” said Middleton, who finished with 16 points and seven assists. “And that’s what builds confidence, one guy goes down and we feel like we have a chance to compete at the highest level.”

The Bucks were missing Antetokounmpo because of a lower back contusion he suffered when he was driving to the basket with just over four minutes left in the first quarter during Game 1 on Sunday. He collided with Miami’s Kevin Love and landed awkwardly on his backside.

The Bucks had been optimistic about Antetokounmpo’s status in the days leading up to Game 2, and he was upgraded on the injury report from doubtful to questionable before the game Wednesday. However, the Bucks decided to exercise caution and give him extra time to recover despite entering Wednesday trailing 1-0 in the series.

But Middleton said he shared the same message as Holiday.

“That guy, he’s going to do whatever he can to get out there and play,” Middleton told ESPN after Wednesday’s game. “But we always tell him, ‘If you need a night, big fella, we got you. It’s all right, win or lose, we gone give it our all. Just have that confidence in us, that trust in us.’ And he does.

“We’re going to hold the fort down as best we could. Just like we had to for a little bit in that Atlanta series [during the 2021 Eastern Conference finals].”

The Bucks continued to have success without Antetokounmpo in the playoffs. Milwaukee improved to 3-1 when Antetokounmpo sits in playoff games, including a pair of victories during the 2021 conference finals Middleton and the Bucks recalled after Wednesday’s game.

The Bucks have another two days off before Saturday’s Game 3 in Miami, which gives Antetokounmpo’s back more time to recover. But Wednesday’s win gives the Bucks even more confidence that they can compete in this series until he’s feeling 100 percent.

“Our team has the ultimate confidence in each other,” Holiday said. “We know how Giannis is. We know Giannis is going to try and make that Superman effort and come back and play 48 minutes and do what he does.

“But we can hold down the fort until he comes back.”