MILWAUKEE — The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks both lost important players in the opening game of their first-round series. But it was the Heat that escaped Game 1 with an impressive win to send a statement to the heavily favored Bucks.
Heat starting guard Tyler Herro broke his right hand late in the first half of Game 1 and never returned. Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo left Game 1 in the second quarter because of a lower back contusion and didn’t return.
Through it all, the Eastern Conference’s eighth-seeded Heat came away with an eye-opening 130-117 victory over the top-seeded Bucks on Sunday at Fiserv Forum to take a 1-0 lead in the series.