GAME 1: Heat Outlast Bucks
The Miami Heat rode Jimmy Butler's playoff career-high 40 points to victory on Monday evening, overcoming the one-seeded Milwaukee Bucks by the score of 115-104. Both Miami and Milwaukee entered the night riding four-game winning streaks to advance in the postseason, with the Heat sweeping Indiana and the Bucks quickly recovering from an unforeseen Game 1 loss to dispose of Orlando. Unfortunately for Milwaukee, adversity struck once again this afternoon, with point guard Eric Bledsoe appearing on their injury report as a last-minute scratch due to a right hamstring strain. Nonetheless, FanDuel placed their odds of winning at 65%, giving the Bucks a five-point edge. And in the early minutes, they did not disappoint. By the conclusion of the first quarter, the Bucks had built a 40-29 lead, converting 15-of-24 attempts from the field (62.5%), and benefiting from a buzzer-beating 3-point shot by Brook Lopez. However, despite any potential rust on display from Miami (who had not ta...