Heat's historic 4th quarter charge pushes Bucks to the brink
The heat is really on the Milwaukee Bucks now.
The Miami Heat outscored Milwaukee by an incredible 40-13 margin in the fourth quarter of Friday's 115-100 win, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Milwaukee entered the fourth leading 87-75 but watched Miami start the frame with a 19-6 run. The Heat ultimately outscored the Bucks by 27 in the quarter, the worst point differential in the fourth quarter of a playoff game during the shot clock era, according to ESPN.
Heat star Jimmy Butler outscored the Bucks as a team in the period, 17 to 13. Meanwhile, Miami clamped down defensively, holding Giannis Antetokounmpo to just four points and Khris Middleton scoreless. Milwaukee shot a disastrous 26% in the quarter, going 0-for-10 from deep.
It was a rough game for Antetokounmpo in general - he came up an assist shy of a triple-double, but the reigning NBA MVP went just 7-of-21 from the floor and 0-for-7 from deep. A tweaked ankle suffered earlier in the game also appeared to slow him down at times.
No NBA team has ever overcome a 3-0 deficit to come back and win a playoff series. The Heat can complete the sweep of the top-seeded Bucks on Sunday.