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The eighth-seeded Miami Heat‘s numbers continue to dwindle in heartbreaking fashion amid their first-round playoff series with the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks. Victor Oladipo was the latest casualty of the hardwood battle, having fallen prey to a torn patellar tendon.
And yet, following their 121-99 throttling of Mike Budenholzer’s club at Kaseya Center on Saturday, the ballers of Biscayne find themselves with a 2-1 series lead on the Bucks.
While Jimmy Butler has been the straw that stirs the drink for the Heat, averaging 30.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals while sinking 60.3% of his shot attempts overall and 66.7% of his three-point tries through three contests, he has hardly been a one-man show. The Heat star has gotten help from up and down the roster.
Perhaps no other player has risen to the occasion like forgotten man Duncan Robinson, who has stepped in for the injured Tyler Herro to tremendous effect. As Robinson sees it, though, his teammates are as responsible as him for the sudden uptick.
Heat’s Duncan Robinson Credits His Teammates for Helping Him Meet the Moment
After scoring 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting and adding five rebounds and three assists during Game 2, Robinson cranked things up an additional notch for Game 3. In 24 minutes off the bench, he dropped 20 points on just nine shot attempts, hitting 5-of-6 from three and logging a 24 on the right side of the plus/minus ledger.
He later noted his own intent to be more aggressive offensively while addressing the media postgame. However, he gave at least equal credit for the outburst to his brothers-in-ball.
“Obviously, I rely on my teammates a lot… screening with the ball and stuff like that,” Robinson said. “So, I think I just felt intention from them as well to just play selfless and get me involved, which I’m grateful for. And the staff as well to find me in actions and stuff.
“So, it makes it easier for me to be aggressive when they’re encouraging me and imploring me to continue to be aggressive.”
Robinson — who also passed Dwyane Wade for the most postseason triples in franchise history during the win — made it clear, however, that he’s worked hard to keep himself in a place where he can actually deliver when called upon.
“That’s a beautiful thing about this time of year — you just gotta commit everything you can to trying to help us win…” Robinson said.
“At this point, I feel like I’ve been — maybe you guys haven’t seen it — but I feel like I’ve been working to really just stay ready for these moments… control what I can control, and then, when I do have opportunities, just put my best foot forward to try to make the most of them.”
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Game 4 Status Is Up in the Air
It would be disingenuous to say that the Heat had taken the series lead on guts and guile alone; the Bucks are dealing with a serious injury problem of their own with Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time NBA MVP has missed each of the last two contests after suffering a lower back contusion during Game 1.
Despite his best efforts — which include doing individual court work on Sunday — Giannis’ status for Game 4 remains uncertain, too.
“We’ll continue to monitor him,” Budenholzer said following a team film session, via ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “We’ll see how he feels from the session today and see how he wakes up tomorrow.”
Over 63 appearances during the regular season, Antetokounmpo averaged 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game while shooting 55.3% from the field.
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