Milwaukee guard Eric Bledsoe was ruled out of Game 1 of the Bucks' Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Miami Heat on Monday night with a strained right hamstring as they fell behind 0-1 without him.
Bledsoe was listed as questionable and tested the strain before the game, before the Bucks decided that he would not be in the lineup.
George Hill took over as the first-string point guard for Bledsoe -- who started all five of Milwaukee's first-round games against Orlando -- and finished with eight points and four assists in the 115-104 loss in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
"Gotta make more right plays. Obviously, not having that guy that can go downhill and then create for us, it makes the game a little bit tougher for us, especially for me and Khris [Middleton] and obviously G. Hill," Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo said. "But have an extra playmaker out there makes the game easier for everybody. We can all be basketball players, we can move the ball, we can really drive the ball, we can create for one another, we can find open shots. I want him to be healthy, recover, get healthy and get back as soon as possible."
Hill started for just the third time in 65 regular-season and playoff appearances for Milwaukee this season. Bledsoe averaged 11.6 points and a team-best 6.6 assists per game in that first-round series against the Magic, and his teammates said they felt his absence.
"I think the ball was in my hands a lot as a point guard, bring it up the floor, making plays more than usual, but that's something I have to do when Eric is out," said Middleton, who posted 21 of his 28 points in the first half. "Eric makes the game easier for a lot of people that people don't realize. It doesn't always come through as an assist for him, but he's just a floor general. He leads us, gets everybody in their right spots, knows what plays to call and on the other side of the ball he's a great defender. I think everybody knows that about him."
The Heat were successful offensively with Goran Dragic dropping 27 points and Jimmy Butler torching the Bucks for a playoff career-high 40 points. However, more than anything, Miami's blueprint for defending Antetokounmpo -- by keeping him out of the paint -- was successful.
The reigning MVP was held to six points in the paint, just the fifth time this season he scored single-digit paint points in a game, per ESPN Stats & Information. During the opening round, he averaged 18.8 points on 69% shooting in the paint.
There's no word on Bledsoe's return, but with Game 2 set for Wednesday, the Bucks remain hopeful he'll return sooner than later.
"I've just got to keep making the right play. Keep playing good basketball, keep finding my teammates," Antetokounmpo said. "Obviously, they're going to try to build a wall as much as possible this game, the next game, the whole series. So, I've got to keep making the right play. Would I wanted to be more aggressive? Obviously. When the game is over and you look at the stat sheet and you see 12 shots, you kind of wonder why I didn't shoot more. Could I be more aggressive? But I think, I was just trying to make the right play and it was my mindset the whole game. Win or lose, you've got to live with it."