Inside The Heat

Takeaways From The Miami Heat's Game 3 Victory Against Milwaukee Bucks

The Miami Heat are ahead 2-1 against the Milwaukee Bucks in first round of Eastern Conference playoffs

Shandel Richardson

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Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler was his usual self in the postseason. 

And he wasn't abandoned Saturday night. 

Butler came up big again while also receiving contributions from his teammates in a 121-99 victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 3 of their first-round series in the Eastern Conference. The Heat now lead 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. 

Here are some takeaways from the game: 

-Butler was "Playoff Jimmy" again. He scored 21 of his 30 points in the first half, setting the tone. When he starts fast, it allows teammates to get involved earlier. This is usually a recipe for a Heat victory. 

-Welcome back, Duncan Robinson. He's taken so much heat the past few years because of his lack of production. He responded in a big way on the grandest of stages by scoring 20 points when the Heat needed it. 

-Kyle Lowry is up there with Robinson when it comes to the most scrutinized players on the Heat roster. Several have taken aim at him this season but Lowry was crucial tonight. He had 15 points off the bench, which basically offset Bucks starting point guard Jrue Holiday. 

-Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made the adjustment of placing Kevin Love in the starting lineup. This allowed them to make up for the Bucks' size advantage in the frontcourt. Love was vital to keeping Milwaukee from dominating the boards. 

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Shandel Richardson covers the Miami Heat for Inside The Heat.

TWITTER: @ShandelRich

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For any Heat or NBA questions, please email shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here

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