Heat Vs Bucks: Kevin Porter Jr. scores 32 as Milwaukee rallies for 128-117 win
In a game defined by momentum swings and a late defensive stand, the heat vs bucks ended 128-117 as Kevin Porter Jr. exploded in the fourth quarter to power Milwaukee to a win. The result gave the Bucks a bounce-back victory after a disappointing loss in their previous outing and completed a perfect 3-0 home stand.
Final score and standout numbers
The Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Miami Heat 128-117. Kevin Porter Jr. led all scorers with 32 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Ryan Rollins and Bobby Portis each scored 21 for the Bucks, while Norman Powell finished with 26 for Miami.
First-quarter swings: Kuzma’s early burst and Porter’s late triple
Kyle Kuzma, who had struggled the night before by scoring just three points, opened this game by scoring nine of the Bucks’ first 11 points in the first six minutes. Norman Powell answered for Miami with a six-point run that put the Heat up by three in the later stages of the quarter. The Heat clung to a two-point advantage until Porter drilled a triple with 13 seconds left, a shot that put Milwaukee ahead 30-29 after the first 12 minutes.
Second-quarter runs, Spoelstra timeout and Ousmane Dieng’s first home points
Benches traded minutes early in the second quarter until Milwaukee built a cushion on a 6-2 run that prompted an Erik Spoelstra timeout. Ousmane Dieng scored his first home points as a member of the Bucks when he nailed a three that gave the home team a double-digit edge. Miami responded as its shooters converted four straight triples, and Andrew Wiggins scored in transition to tie the game, capping a 14-2 run. The quarter remained tight until Cam Thomas completed a three-point play and then hit a step-back jumper with one second left; Thomas’ five-point burst sent Milwaukee into the half leading 63-58.
Third quarter: Heat rally, Green and Turner break scoreless spells, Portis cuts margin
Miami opened the second half with a 7-0 run to regain the lead. Two Bucks who had been held scoreless in the first half, AJ Green and Myles Turner, helped Milwaukee respond: Green’s first three of the night capped an 8-2 run that put the Bucks back in front. Despite that response, Miami regained the edge and held it for the remainder of the quarter. A Bobby Portis floater with 46 seconds left in the period cut the Heat lead to 93-89 heading into the fourth.
Heat Vs Bucks: fourth-quarter turnaround, KPJ’s and-one, and the defensive stretch
Miami opened the fourth by making shots from distance and grabbed its largest lead of the night at nine. Milwaukee battled back when Green, Portis and Dieng converted three straight long-range shots to flip the game. Kevin Porter Jr. then hit the biggest shot of the night, swishing an and-one fall-away triple that put the Bucks up two; that four-point play sparked a 10-0 run for Milwaukee. The Bucks’ defense then held the Heat without a field goal for 6: 34, and Porter finished with 10 of his 13 fourth-quarter points in the final 5: 35.
Additional notes and tone of coverage
The Bucks got back in the win column after the prior loss and finished a perfect home stand with a 3-0 record. Coverage of the game framed KPJ’s effort as an explosive fourth quarter that powered Milwaukee to victory. Other coverage lines in the postgame included a tongue-in-cheek note that "the Bucks get another terrific win with the power of friendship!" and an attention-grabbing line that read "Dreadful three-point shooting performance dooms Milwaukee, " both present in the game writeups.
Gambling help and hotlines listed in the game materials included 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537), 327-5050 and 1-888-789-7777. For New York help there was a number to call, 877-8HOPE-NY, and instructions to text HOPENY. 21+ (18+ D. C. ) participation notes and references to select-state availability were also part of the postgame material.
