It was deja vu all over again for the defending champion Miami Heat.
Despite a massive talent gap and 1-0 series lead against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Heat struggled to find any semblance of comfort on the night. They entered intermission nursing a four-point lead, which shrunk to three by the end of the third quarter.
But with an Erik Spoelstra flip of the switch, the Heat suddenly grasped control of the game (and possibly put this series to rest) with a 12-0 run to open the fourth.
While the story carried a familiar theme for the Heat, it was a new cast of characters leading the charge. Reserves Chris Andersen and Norris Cole combined for 10 of the 12 points, helped only by a LeBron James layup at the 11:08 mark.
Miami continued to struggle with its outside shot, hitting just 6-of-19 from deep two days after shooting 7-of-23 from three in the opener. And its Big Three were relatively quiet as James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh combined for 50 points—14 fewer than their regular-season average.
But Spoelstra’s reserves helped pick up the scoring slack with 36 points. And Miami held a double-digit edge on the glass, 43-33, for the second time in as many games.
Pretty or not, Miami’s 98-86 win still gives them a commanding 2-0 series lead over the eighth-seeded Bucks.
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