Can the Miami Heat hack the game plan of the Milwaukee Bucks for a second win in three games?

Milwaukee Bucks destroyed the Miami Heat in their last meeting 124-86, so is there any chance for redemption this time around?

In other words, can Miami stop the unstoppable Giannis Antetokounmpo as he leads the Bucks to the best record in the NBA?

Looking at Antetokounmpo’s game log this season, we see he had a +/- of less than -20 on only two occasions this season: against the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.

Versus the Kings, Harrison Barnes outplayed the Greek Freak, while against the Pacers, Thaddeus Young took advantage of Antetokounmpo’s lack of lateral quickness for a highlight game.

In that game the Pacers followed the scouting report on Antetokounmpo perfectly by beating him off the dribble and with quick spin moves.

“Despite his athletic abilities he lacks elite explosiveness [first step]...he’s beaten by the opponents due a lack of proper positioning and comprehension.”

Credit coach Mike Budenholzer for featuring Antetokounmpo as a rim-protecting free safety rather guarding pick-and-roll plays, as the breakdown on him below illustrates those points.

Pointing out these flaws in Antetokounmpo is like slamming James Harden ‘s defense: their positives far outweigh the negatives.

Since the Bucks generally hang around the restricted area with Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez as rim protectors, the excellence Josh Richardson developed in his mid-range game might help: in his last ten games Richardson leads the NBA in field-goal percentage on attempts from 10 to 14 feet (minimum 12 attempts) at 72.2%.