MILWAUKEE, WI —  On Monday night, Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Damian Lillard added 25, and the Milwaukee Bucks established a 25-point lead before defeating the Miami Heat 122-114.

The Heat were missing two-time All-Star center Bam Adebayo, who hurt his hip in a loss to Minnesota on Saturday.

Tyler Herro led the Heat in scoring with 35 points.

Because of the postseason and offseason links between these two teams, this game held more intrigue than a regular October battle.

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Last season, the Heat upset the top-seeded Bucks in the playoffs, winning their first-round series in five games. The Heat advanced all the way from the play-in round to the NBA Finals, while the Bucks reacted by sacking coach Mike Budenholzer and replacing him with veteran Toronto Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin.

The best trade Milwaukee made this offseason was acquiring guard Damian Lillard, a seven-time all-NBA selection who expressed a desire to play for the Heat when he asked to be traded from the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Heat rallied late to keep it close on Monday, but Miami completed stunning comebacks in the final two games of the series to secure their playoff victory over Milwaukee. The Heat produced this fourth-quarter surge with Jimmy Butler, their postseason hero, and the majority of their other starters sitting on the sidelines.

Miami cut its deficit to single digits after trailing 103-78 with less than 10 1/2 minutes remaining. With 1:22 remaining, Duncan Robinson’s jumper trimmed the margin to 115-109.

With 1:16 remaining, Antetokounmpo made a three-point play. The Bucks’ lead never fell below six points the rest of the way.

In last year’s playoffs, Miami defeated the Bucks 119-114 in Game 4 by outscoring them 30-13 in the final six minutes. The Heat overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit to win the game 128-126 in overtime.