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The Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat to advance to the knockout round of NBA Cup

The Bucks defeated the Heat for the second time this season.

Matthew Dugandzic

© Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
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The Milwaukee Bucks advanced to the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament after they pulled off a hard-fought 131-124 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

The Bucks ruled the East Group B of the NBA Cup by winning all of their four games as they forged a knockout quarterfinal match against the wild-card New York Knicks.

Dynamic duo strikes again

Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard wrought havoc once again as they scored at least 30 points each for the third straight game.

The Greek Freak finished with 33 points, while Dame scored 32, helping the Bucks improve to 13-5 in the season with their third straight victory. Antetokounmpo also grabbed ten rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season.

Khris Middleton returned from a one-game absence due to Achilles tendinitis with a 17-point performance. Malik Beasley added 16 points and ten rebounds, while Brook Lopez pitched in 12.

The Heat played without Jimmy Butler, but they were able to claw back from a 13-point deficit and took a 97-93 lead with only one quarter left.

Khris turns clutch at the finish

Milwaukee found a way to escape with its second win against Miami this season by ending the game on a 16-6 run, highlighted by Middleton's crucial back-to-back buckets in the closing seconds.

Middleton broke a 118-all tie with a shot clock-beating jumper and added a fade-away jumper that gave the Bucks a 122-118 lead with 1:38 left.

Antetokounmpo and Lillard helped the Bucks put the game away by combining for five made free throws in the final 1:18.

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 31 points, while Kyle Lowry added 21. Josh Richardson chipped in 21 points, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin scored 14 apiece, while Duncan Robinson added 13 for the Heat, who dropped to 10-8 with their third-straight loss. The loss also snapped Miami’s four-game winning streak at home.

Bobby Portis Jr. says the Bucks have to honor getting the other team’s best in every game

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Matthew Dugandzic
MATTHEW DUGANDZIC

Matthew finished his bachelor's degree in Economics (Management) at the University of Split and got his master's degree in the same field at the University of Zadar. Whether it is playing the game as an undersized 6'3'' power forward or simply watching it, Matthew can't get enough of it. After all, he has been an avid NBA fan since the 2000s. But don't get him wrong, as Matthew still loves the old-school NBA and is a true student of the game. From on-court moments to off-court stuff, whether it's about the stars of modern-day basketball or legends of the game, Matthew covers every category of the NBA world and basketball in general, as long as it makes for an engaging and exciting story.