© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Milwaukee Bucks get revenge on the Miami Heat
The Milwaukee Bucks quickly got back on track, responding from an ugly loss the other night with a 122-114 win over the Miami Heat on Monday night at the Fiserv Forum.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and a block, helping Milwaukee bounce back from a 110-127 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night, improving to 2-1 in the season.
Dame bounces back
Limited to just six points in that blowout loss to the Hawks, Damian Lillard rediscovered his old form and contributed 25 points on a 7-for-14 shooting from the field.
Lillard went 9-for-11 from the charity stripe area after not taking a single free throw in the loss to Atlanta.
Bobby Portis Jr. added 16 points and eight boards, while Brook Lopez and Cameron Payne chipped in 11 points each. Khris Middleton returned from a one-game absence and tallied five points, five assists, two boards, and one steal in 17 minutes of play.
It was the first meeting between the two teams since they faced each other in the first round of last season’s playoffs. Miami ousted the top-seeded Milwaukee in just five games in that series duel and went on to advance to the NBA finals in one of the best underdog postseason runs in NBA history.
Surviving Miami’s endgame scare
In their rematch, the Bucks dominated the middle periods to build double-digit leads and then held off the Heat’s comeback bid in the fourth quarter.
The Bucks outscored the Heat in the second period, 34-24, to take a 62-52 lead at the half. Lillard already had nine points after two-quarters of play, surpassing his total output in their loss against Atlanta.
A 35-21 run in the third gave Milwaukee a 97-73 lead, heading into the final quarter. The Bucks increased the lead to 103-78 with 10:30 left.
The Heat then got hot, putting up a huge run to move within 115-109 on a jumper by Duncan Robinson with 1:22 left. A three-point play by Giannis gave the Bucks a nine-point lead that ultimately quelled the Heat’s uprising.
Tyler Herro led Miami with 33 points, Robinson had 15, and Jimmy Butler added 13. The Heat, who played without injured All-Star center Bam Adebayo, fell to 1-3 on the season.
