Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum, the Milwaukee Bucks scored their most points in a playoff game in 45 years and made their most 3-pointers in a playoff game ever.
All of this without MVP finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo, still sidelined with a lower back contusion, suffered Sunday night in the first quarter of Milwaukee’s’ Game 1 loss.
"It takes the whole team; I think you saw that tonight," Bucks forward Khris Middleton, who had 16 points and 6 rebounds 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 team’s energy was evident from the opening tip.
"I don't think we were necessarily soft last game, but we could have definitely made our presence felt more, said center Brook Lopez, who led the Bucks with 26 points on 12/17 shooting. “We did a better job of that tonight.”
"He was great," Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said of Lopez’ performance. "I think his teammates finding him and his teammates looking for him, being in attack mode, everybody created some good opportunities for Brook and he delivered."
Milwaukee made 25 three-pointers in their 138-122 win in Game 2. That ties an NBA record for 3s in a playoff game. The Bucks also had seven players finish in double figures, including six players who scored at least 15 points, matching another NBA record.