Ray Allen passed Reggie Miller for the most made three-pointers in NBA playoff history, leading the Heat to a 104-91 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks and giving Miami a 3-0 series lead. Allen scored 23 points and hit 5-of-8 from three-point range to surpass Miller's record on Thursday night.
NBA Playoffs 2013, Heat vs. Bucks Game 3: Ray Allen, Miami use second-half burst to win, 104-91
The Miami Heat used their typical second-half run to pull away from the Milwaukee Bucks, but the story was Ray Allen’s consistent and historic play.
As they did in Game 2, the Bucks trailed 70-68 with 2:40 left in the third quarter, but the Heat finished on an 8-0 run to go ahead, 78-68, heading to the final frame. The run turned into a 15-1 spurt bridging the third and fourth, and the Heat led by as many as 17 down the stretch to cruise to victory.
LeBron James added 22 points, six assists and five rebounds, but Miami received more than enough support from its role players to comfortably win. James sat the majority of the fourth quarter, as the reserves and Dwyane Wade closed out the game.
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Wade went 1-for-12 from the floor, but he recorded 11 assists, added five steals and had six offensive rebounds. Of the Big Three, Chris Bosh also struggled from the field, but he, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen all scored in double-figures
But it was Allen’s night. He hit three shots from beyond the arc and scored 15 first-half points off the bench. James splashed a step-back jumper from the right wing to bring Miami within two as Milwaukee took a 50-48 lead at halftime. The final hoop of the half was James’ first points in the second quarter after he scored 11 points in the opening stanza.
Larry Sanders and Brandon Jennings led Milwaukee with 16 points apiece, but the Bucks turned the ball over 20 times leading to 22 points. This negated Miami's own turnover issues that gave the Bucks 23 points.
Ultimately, the difference in the first half was Milwaukee’s bench production from Redick and an effective half from Ersan Ilyasova, but neither kept it up as Allen continued his big night.
Will Jim Boylan Find More Minutes For J.J. Redick?: The reserve guard scored 11 points in 10 minutes during the first half and hit his first two buckets but Boylan only gave Redick seven more minutes in the second hall, all of them scoreless.
Can Luc Mbah a Moute Slow Down LeBron James?: After 11 first-quarter points, James went relatively quiet in the second quarter, playing within the offense and making the extra pass until knocking down the final shot of the half at the buzzer. Of course, that would only last so long. James scored nine points in the third quarter for 22 total. He only needed 33 minutes of playing time to secure the Miami win.
Will Chris Bosh Exploit His Matchup Against Ersan Ilyasova?: Bosh was at Ilyasova's mercy in the first quarter. The stretch forward beat Bosh at his own game, scoring 11 points and having his own solid defense force the Heat's undersized center into 1-for-7 shooting in the first half. But Bosh in the end did more, scoring 16 and grabbing 14 rebounds, while Ilyasova went was blanketed in the second half, finishing with only 15 points to go with eight boards and four assists.
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