Bucks thrash Heat to take 2-0 series lead


Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks in the third quarter against the Miami Heat during Game Two of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum on May 24, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Quinn Harris / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

The Milwaukee Bucks produced an exhibition of three-point shooting in a crushing victory over the Miami Heat to take a 2-0 lead in their Eastern Conference first round playoff series on Monday.

Bryn Forbes erupted for five threes in the first half and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 31 points to give the Bucks a resounding 132-98 win over last year's NBA Finals runners-up.

Overall, the Bucks made 22 of 53 three-point attempts, Antetokounmpo kicking off the rout with a 28-foot pullup from outside the arc for the first points of the game.

After an overtime thriller in game one on Saturday, the Bucks were in no mood to leave anything to chance in game two, erupting for 46 points in the first quarter alone.

The Bucks made 15 of 29 three-point attempts in the first half, and surged into leads of more than 30 points at various stages of a one-sided encounter.

They maintained a healthy cushion throughout, with the Heat unable to get within 20 points of the Bucks after briefly clawing their way back to a 19-point deficit early in the second quarter.

Antetokounmpo added 13 rebounds and six assists while Forbes finished with 22 points off the bench.

Khris Middleton added 17 points including three three-pointers as six Bucks players made double-digit totals.

Dewayne Dedmon led the Miami scorers with 19 points from the bench while Goran Dragic added 18. Bam Adebayo was restricted to 16 points while Jimmy Butler was held to just 10.

Game three takes place in Miami on Thursday.