The Miami Heat’s quest for a return trip to the NBA Finals began with a setback on Saturday.
They lost a frustrating game to the Milwaukee Bucks in overtime, and guard Goran Dragic took Bam Adebayo to task for not being assertive enough.
Adebayo, who had a magnificent season, put forth a terrible game on Saturday. He shot just 4-of-15 from the field for a mere nine points.
Dragic did his part with 25 points on 10-of-17 shooting, but most of his teammates, including Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler and Kendrick Nunn, struggled mightily.
On the other side, Khris Middleton led the way for Milwaukee with 27 points, including the game-winning shot at the end of overtime.
When both these teams met in the second round of the playoffs last year, the Heat embarrassed the Bucks by knocking them out in five games.
The Heat still have a great chance to win this year’s matchup, but it will likely be tougher than it was last year when Milwaukee continually fell apart in crunch time.