The Miami Heat won Game 3 of their first-round playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, giving them a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. Miami will look to take control of the series on their own court for Game 4 on Monday night. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. EDT in Miami at the Kaseya Center.
Update Injury for Miami Heat – Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks, the top seed in the Eastern Conference, were blown out 121-99 in Game 3 on Saturday night in Miami, falling behind 2-1 in the first round battle.
But, let’s be honest, they were playing without the best player in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo, for the second consecutive game, so they were at a significant disadvantage.
So I can throw all the data at you in the world, but the real question is, what is Antetokounmpo’s status? If he plays, the Bucks will almost certainly win. If he doesn’t, the Bucks might be down 3-1 when they return home.
Antetokounmpo (back) is categorized as questionable for Game 4 on Monday.
The designation isn’t surprising given Antetokounmpo’s absence from Game 3 on Saturday, his second straight absence after collapsing on his lower back in Game 1 of the series.
According to Eric Nehm of The Athletic, Antetokounmpo performed some individual work at Sunday’s practice, but the team has been relatively tight-lipped about his overall progress.
As of Sunday evening, Antetokounmpo’s status remained uncertain, but with Milwaukee behind the series 2-1, there may be more incentive for Antetokounmpo to push through any residual soreness.
On Saturday night, the Miami Heat took care of business, defeating the top-seeded Bucks 121-99. They now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1.
They took advantage of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence and shot 53% from the field with 16 three-pointers in a decisive win. They also had 13 steals and outrebounded the Bucks.
In Game 3, Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 30 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in 28 minutes, helping Miami create a double-digit advantage.
The All-Star returned to the locker room after taking two big falls in the third quarter, and after returning to the bench, he remained on the sidelines as his teammates raced to a 2-1 lead in the first-round game.
Butler, as expected, should be fine moving forward and could have finished Saturday’s game if the score had been closer. Miami may still name Butler on their official injury report, which is expected to be released Sunday afternoon, but there has been no indication that he would miss Game 4.
Head coach Erik Spoelstra says Butler underwent therapy on Sunday and will play again Monday night. The dubious tag appears to be a formality, but we’ll learn more about Butler’s status closer to Monday’s game.
Injury Update for Heat
| PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
| Bam Adebayo | Hamstring | Game Time Decision |
| Nikola Jovic | Back | Expected to be out until at least Apr 26 |
| Victor Oladipo | Knee | Out for the season |
| Jimmy Butler | Lower Body | Game Time Decision |
| Tyler Herro | Hand | Expected to be out until at least Jun 2 |
Injury Update for Bucks
| PLAYER | INJURY | STATUS |
| Wesley Matthews | Calf | Expected to be out until at least Apr 26 |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | Back | Game Time Decision |
