Heat Vs Bucks: heat vs bucks — Heat fizzle late, fall 128-117 in Milwaukee

The Miami Heat’s attempt to build a streak ended in a 128-117 loss Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum in a matchup billed as heat vs bucks. The Heat were almost completely at full health but suffered a fourth-quarter collapse and missed free throws late that sealed the defeat.

Game flow and turning points

The Bucks led 30-29 after the first quarter and held a 63-58 edge at halftime after falling behind by 12 in the second period. The Heat rallied and led 93-89 going into the fourth. Miami pushed to a 101-92 lead to start the fourth, only to see Milwaukee rally to a 103-102 lead. Four consecutive Norman Powell free throws later had the Heat up 115-112, but a four-point play by Kevin Porter put the Bucks up 118-116. That momentum carried Milwaukee to a 124-116 lead when the Heat called timeout with 1: 18 to play.

Fourth-quarter collapse details

Miami lost the fourth quarter 39-24, closing 5 of 20 from the field and 3 of 14 on 3-pointers in the period. The Heat’s final basket came with 6: 34 remaining. Late missed free throws were noted as sealing the loss for Miami as the Bucks pulled away down the stretch.

Key performers and injuries

In Giannis Antetokounmpo’s injury absence, the Bucks received 32 points from Kevin Porter, including the decisive late four-point play. Norman Powell led the Heat with 26 points. Bam Adebayo added 18, Andrew Wiggins scored 16, and Tyler Herro and Kel’el Ware finished with 14 apiece.

Tyler Herro’s return and shooting

This was the third game back for Tyler Herro after being sidelined since Jan. 15 with a rib issue, and he again played off the bench. After a 5-of-15 shooting struggle in Saturday night’s victory over the Grizzlies, Herro opened this game 1 of 5 from the field before converting a pair of 3-pointers to spark a second-quarter rally. He closed the night 3 of 9 on 3-pointers and 2 of 8 on two-point attempts as his shot remained off.

Point guard rotation and Mitchell

Davion Mitchell was back after missing Saturday’s game due to illness. Coach Erik Spoelstra emphasized the team’s strength in numbers at point guard and said decisions would have to be made on a game-to-game basis. This time rookie Kasparas Jakucionis went from Saturday starter to Tuesday reserve. That move initially left Dru Smith, a Saturday reserve, out of the rotation, as had been the case in Friday night’s victory in Atlanta in Mitchell’s previous appearance; Smith then received token second-half minutes ahead of Jakucionis.

Standings implication and series

With both teams factoring into the play-in race, the Heat could have clinched the three-game season, having previously defeated the Bucks in November. Now the season series will come down to the teams’ March 12 meeting in Miami.

Coach Erik Spoelstra’s club, which briefly held leads during the second half, instead watched its chance at a longer winning run slip away in Milwaukee as the Bucks capitalized in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s absence and Porter delivered a late scoring burst.