MIAMI — From the moment Khris Middleton stepped into a four-point play at the 10:10 mark of the first quarter to give the Milwaukee Bucks a 6-2 lead over the Miami Heat, he was there to kill the vibe of 17,000 fans at American Airlines Arena.
The largest crowd in an NBA arena in over a year saw Middleton time and again suppress any urge they had to get out of their seat and cheer as the Bucks took a commanding 3-0 series lead with a 113-84 victory Thursday night.
While the Bucks never trailed after Middleton’s early four-point play and actually led quite comfortably throughout, any feeling of momentum built by the Heat was quelled by the 29-year-old wing.
“We got off to a little slow start shooting the ball, but we were able to settle in,” Middleton said. “It’s harder on the road. I think this is our first road game — skip last year — in two years. Just being in a different environment and not really playing on the road this year with fans as much as this, it gets rowdy. It took a little bit or us to settle in and get what we need to get done.”
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The metronomic way Middleton answered whatever the Heat managed offensively suits the soft-spoken two-time All-Star, though the timely buckets further illustrated the cold bloodedness he displayed in hitting his Game 1 winner. He led the Bucks with 22 points while adding eight rebounds…
