Bucks hand Heat worst loss of season


Reuters | Updated: 16-01-2019 10:09 IST | Created: 16-01-2019 10:09 IST
Bucks hand Heat worst loss of season

Giannis Antetokounmpo posted his 13th career triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, leading the host Milwaukee Bucks to a 124-86 win over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night.

It was the largest margin of defeat for Miami this season.

This was also the third triple-double this season for Antetokounmpo, who added three steals.

In terms of top scorers, the Bucks got 17 points from Eric Bledsoe and 16 from Malcolm Brogdon.

Milwaukee, which has the second-best record in the NBA at 31-12, improved its home mark to 20-4. Last week, the Bucks completed their best first half of a season in 28 years.

The Bucks had lost six straight games to the Heat before ending that streak on Tuesday. This was Milwaukee's first win over Miami since Jan. 13, 2017.

Milwaukee committed just one turnover in the first half and had a total of seven miscues for the game. Miami committed 17 turnovers.

Miami was led by point guard Justise Winslow, who had 19 points, five rebounds and five assists. Heat center Hassan Whiteside added 19 points and eight rebounds as Miami returned to .500 at 21-21.

Miami starting shooting guard and leading scorer Josh Richardson, who missed Monday's practice due to knee tendinitis, was held to six points against the Bucks. He made just 3 of 11 shots from the floor.

With a 13-2 run at the end, Milwaukee closed the first quarter with a 30-23 lead. Miami played some good defense in that quarter, blocking five shots (to three for Milwaukee) and holding the Bucks to 37.9-percent shooting.

In fact, the Heat held Antetokounmpo to three points on 1-for-5 shooting, but Milwaukee surged ahead by not turning the ball over once.

The second quarter, however, was all Milwaukee as the Bucks led by as many as 27 points. By halftime, the Bucks were up 69-45, shooting 51 percent for the first 24 minutes.

Milwaukee didn't let up in the third quarter, building its lead to 93-63, and the game was virtually over at that point as the Bucks improved to 28-1 this season when leading after three quarters, including 17-0 at home.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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