Photo via Heat.com

The Miami Heat faced a shorthanded Milwaukee Bucks team on Thursday. The Bucks were without three starters. This should be an easy game, right? Well, that hasn’t been the case with Miami falling to shorthanded teams this season. Miami started the game off bad in the first quarter. But then, Miami got into a rhythm and forced Bucks into tough possessions. In the end, Miami was able to hold off the Bucks for the win. With the win, Miami moves to 23-20 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Thursday win over the Bucks.

Rough First Quarter

If you are a fan of high scoring, this wasn’t the game for you. Both teams, who struggle in the halfcourt, came out sluggish. The Heat scored only 14 points in the first period. Milwaukee played tough defense on the Heat early. Their guards kept hounding the ball handers on the Heat with Lopez protecting the paint. Miami had trouble getting into any offensive rhythm. On the other end, Milwaukee was jacking up a lot of three pointers. With their best player out, Milwaukee went with the boom or bust mentality when it came to three pointers. When they got a turnover, they immediately shot a three pointer on the other end.

Vincent’s Career Night

The Heat don’t win this game without Gabe Vincent, who had a career night. Miami struggled in the beginning of the game to get shots off. With the offensive struggling, it was Vincent who kept the Heat afloat. He knock down wide open triple and got it going from there. After a rough season, Vincent’s jumper was falling on Thursday. He took a step back jumper near the three-point line and drew the foul. With the jumpers going, it opened up the passing lanes a bit more. It forced the Bucks to turn their attention to Vincent. Now, Miami needs Vincent to be more consistent with his jumpers. Vincent finished with a career-high 28 points and six assists.

Bam vs Brook Lopez

All eyes were on the Bam Adebayo and Brook Lopez matchup. If you followed the Bucks and Heat matchups over the years, you would know how much Adebayo has struggled against him. The Bucks typically have Lopez playing a deep drop coverage against Adebayo leaving him open for jumpers. In the past, Adebayo was hesistant to take those shots. However, not this time around. Miami immediately went to Adebayo in the middle early in the game. Adebayo sunk down his first two jumpers against Lopez, which is a good sign. It even forced Lopez to play higher on the pick and rolls. Adebayo is no longer afraid of the deep drop coverages. He finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

Oladipo Overcomes Tough Start

It wasn’t a good start for Victor Oladipo. He was struggling on the offensive end and was unable to get into any rhythm. He entered the fourth quarter shooting 2 of 8 from the field. But then, Oladipo started to get going in the fourth quarter. After forcing a turnover on the other end, Oladipo scored off a fancy spin move and layup. The next possession, Oladipo ran a high pick and roll action with Adebayo and knocked down the triple at the top of the key. This forced the Bucks into a timeout. It was good seeing Oladipo keep battling as he worked to find his rhythm. Oladipo finished with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.

Next up: The Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. Game tips off at 1pm eastern on ABC.