Heat Fall in Overtime Battle Against Bucks
The Miami Heat were in a fight all night without Tyler Herro, losing 121-115 in overtime to the Milwaukee Bucks. Bam Adebayo led the way with 31 points and 12 rebounds, including a dominant 23-point first half. Alec Burks and Davion Mitchell stepped up in Herro’s absence, each posting 20-point performances, but it wasn’t enough to slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo, who led Milwaukee with a triple-double of 36 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists. Kevin Porter Jr. added a near triple-double of his own, finishing with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists to help seal the win for the Bucks.
Both teams traded baskets to open the game, as Adebayo scored Miami’s first eight points to keep pace with Milwaukee. Despite the strong start from Adebayo, the Bucks held a 16-15 lead midway through the first quarter. The Heat responded with a 14-7 run to close the quarter, giving Adebayo 15 points and having a 30-22 lead heading into the second. Milwaukee came out aggressive in the second, fueled by Porter Jr, to take a five-point lead. However, Miami answered late in the half, with a Mitchell steal and layup followed by a Duncan Robinson three-pointer to tie the game at 57 apiece going into the break.
The third opened with both teams continuing to stick together until the five-minute mark of the quarter when Miami finally broke the tie, sparked by a burst from Burks, who helped the Heat gain a 10-point lead. Antetokounmpo quickly converted an and-one to close the quarter and cut the deficit to 88-81. The Adebayo second-half struggles finally hit the team in the fourth, opening the door for the Bucks to climb their way back. Antetokounmpo capitalized with a pair of free throws to tie the game back at 92, and later tied again at 109 on a lob to Brook Lopez. Both teams traded baskets and missed opportunities at the end, sending it into overtime tied at 111.
Adebayo opened overtime with four quick points, but they would end up being the only points Miami scored in the extra period, with the Bucks using a team effort to close the game. This loss marks back-to-back defeats following a six-game winning streak and keeps them locked into the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s a tough one to lose, especially with the opportunity missed to jump Chicago for ninth and close the gap on Atlanta for the eighth seed. With only four games left, the Heat need to win against a struggling 76ers team on Monday and have some other games fall into their place to make any sort of movement up the standings.
