Seven in a row. That’s how many wins the Miami Heat now have after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks today. The Heat’s offense started off slow in the early goings of the contest, but Goran Dragić, James Johnson, and Josh Richardson would get the wheels rolling for them against a game Bucks team.
Miami kept it very close throughout the first half with their scoring, but it would be the second half where they would take control of the game. The Heat would go on multiple scoring runs, including a fourteen to nothing run in the third quarter. Though the Bucks scoring runs of their own, Miami had some big shots from Dragić plus dunks from Hassan Whiteside and Heat rookie Bam Adebayo (pronounced Ah-de-buy-yo) pushed Miami further ahead. Justise Winslow (pronounced Justice) returned back to the Heat’s rotation after an injury kept him away from action and delivered a layup, along with more baskets from Dragić, James Johnson, and Tyler Johnson as the Heat won 97 to 79.
With this victory, the Heat are now one game behind the Cleveland Cavaliers for third place in the Eastern Conference Standings. Miami’s defense was the true star of the game, mainly with 46 defensive rebounds over Milwaukee’s 40. Another factor that helped the Heat was their three-point shooting in the second half. Miami shot 37 percent to Milwaukee’s 14 percent.
For the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo had 22 points, Khris Middleton with 16 points, Malcolm Brogdon made 15 points, and Eric Bledsoe scored 10 points.
For the Heat, Goran Dragić led the game with 25 points, Josh Richardson had 16 points, Tyler Johnson with 14 points, and Hassan Whiteside with a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds.
The Heat face the Chicago Bulls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the United Center in Chicago. Game starts at 3:30pm tomorrow and will be televised locally on Sun Sports and nationally on NBA League Pass.
The Heat Check Magazine 