Miami (AP) — The Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the Miami Heat 131-124 on Tuesday night and secure a home quarterfinal matchup in the NBA In-Season Tournament. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Damian Lillard contributed 32, and the team won the game.
Malik Beasley scored sixteen points, Brook Lopez contributed twelve, and Khris Middleton scored seventeen. The Bucks finished 4-0 and won East Group B.
On December 4 or 5, they will play host to New York as a wild card. Boston, the winner of East Group C, will play Indiana, the winner of Group A, in the other quarterfinal, prior to the Final Four in Las Vegas.
For the Heat, who also had 21 points from Kyle Lowry and 20 from Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo scored 31 points. Duncan Robinson added 13 points, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin both scored 14 for the Heat.
Jimmy Butler, who averaged 37.6 points per game when leading Miami to a five-game series victory over Milwaukee in the previous season’s playoffs, was sidelined due to an ankle injury, and Haywood Highsmith was sidelined due to a back injury.
Pat Connaughton was lost to the Bucks late in the second quarter due to an injured right ankle.
With 3:25 remaining, Lowry scored a 3-pointer to give Miami a 118-115 lead, but the Bucks went on a 16-6 run to win it. With 1:03 left, Lillard sank three free throws to help put the game out of reach after Richardson was called for a foul and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was given a technical foul.
The Heat fell behind 15-2 very fast after missing 10 of their first 11 shots. This season, the Los Angeles Clippers were 1 for 12 against Orlando on October 31 and Chicago was 0 for 8 against Miami on November 18. The 1-for-11 start was the third-worst span within the first five and a half minutes of a game.
That game was eventually won by the Bulls. The Clippers also did so. And on Tuesday, the Heat led at the half.
Miami led 62-59 at the half thanks to two different 7-for-8 shooting spurts midway in the half and a 40-point second quarter. In the second half, the lead grew to five points before Milwaukee mounted a comeback.