MIAMI – The Milwaukee Bucks won their third game in a row, squeaking past the Miami Heat, 121-115, in overtime at the Kaseya Center on Saturday night in Miami.
The Bucks turned the game in the extra session after the Heat stole Taurean Prince’s inbound pass out of a timeout with 1 minute, 54 seconds left in overtime – but Prince stole it right back, flipped it to Kevin Porter Jr., who kicked it to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a dunk and 117-115 lead.
Milwaukee center Brook Lopez came up with a huge defensive rebound between two Heat players with 34 seconds left, which led to a falling down finger roll lay-in by Porter to effectively clinch the game at 119-115 with 10 seconds left.
More: Box score | Bucks schedule | Playoff picture
Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double in a row and ninth of the season with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists. It was also his third straight game with at least 10 assists.
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Porter had 24 points and 12 rebounds off the bench while Lopez finished with 17 points. He scored six in the final 2:34 of regulation – including the game-tying bucket with 38 seconds left – to help the Bucks rally from a 7-point deficit.
Antetokounmpo missed a potential go-ahead jumper with three seconds left in regulation, giving the Heat a chance to win the game with a final play, but Bam Adebayo missed a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Adebayo led the Heat with 31 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Alec Burks had 24 points and Davion Mitchell added 20.
AJ Green had 10 points off the bench for Milwaukee and nine different Bucks scored.
The Bucks improved to 43-34 on the year while the Heat lost its second in a row to fall to 35-43. Milwaukee heads to New Orleans to play the Pelicans on Sunday.
Bucks clinch playoff spot
The Bucks clinched a playoff berth for the ninth consecutive season while enjoying a sunny, 80-degree afternoon because the Atlanta Hawks lost to the New York Knicks during a matinee in Atlanta.
If the Hawks had won, the Bucks could have clinched their spot by beating the Heat. The franchise record for consecutive playoff berths is 12, from 1979-91.
“We have a lot (to do),” Rivers said of the final five games and seven days of the season. “Honestly, for this late in the year, we still have a lot to work on. Because of the injury stuff, ‘Scoot’s’ (Kevin Porter Jr.) never played a single game (after the all-star break) with Bobby when you think of it in that way, whether Dame’s coming back or not, the non-Giannis minutes, changing Giannis to a ball handling duty where now he has to read plays. So we actually have a lot to work on in a very short time. We’re going to take advantage of it.”
Bucks, Pistons in dogfight for No. 5 in Eastern Conference
Milwaukee and Detroit have been jockeying for the fifth seed over the last week, and the Pistons (43-34) open Saturday in the No. 5 seed – which would have them play the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers. The Bucks are currently sixth, which would have them play the Knicks – a team they lost three times to quite handedly.
The Bucks and Pistons finish the season with a pair of games on April 11 (Detroit) and April 13 (Milwaukee).
Detroit clinched its first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season on Friday night. They lost to the Bucks in the first round that year.
5 numbers
- 8: Start time, locally, on Saturday night. According to Heat staffers, the team always tips off at 8 p.m. ET for Friday and Saturday night to help fill the arena a bit better.
- 18-20: Bucks road record, with two more to go in the regular season. They have not been .500 away from Fiserv Forum this season since starting the year 1-1 on Oct. 27. They were 18-22 on the road last season. From 2018-23 they were one of the best teams on the road in the NBA, compiling a 123-74 (62.4%) record away from Milwaukee. Indiana (18-20) is the only other playoff team in the East with a losing record on the road while the Los Angeles Lakers (17-20) are the only playoff in the West with an under .500 mark away from home.
- 70: More shots New York, Atlanta, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Miami have taken than the Bucks in their last five games. Milwaukee turned it over too much and allowed too many offensive rebounds, leading to the shot deficit – yet they’ve managed a 3-2 record in those games.
- 71.4: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free-throw percentage against Miami (10 of 14) He had been a relative heater from the charity stripe in the four games coming into the game, making 79.2% (38-for-48).
- 33.8-11.0-10.6: Average points (169), rebounds (55) and assists (53) for Giannis Antetokounmpo over his last five games.
Did you notice?
Giannis Antetokounmpo was wearing a sleeve on his left shoulder. He was flexing his arm at shootaround earlier in the morning but has been managing some discomfort in it since at least the end of March.
Tyler Herro sits out vs. Bucks
Greenfield native and Whitnall High School alumnus Tyler Herro is having a career season for the Heat, as the 25-year-old shooting guard not only made his first all-star team but came into Saturday night’s game averaging a career-best 23.9 points and 5.6 assists.
He dropped a season-high 40 on Milwaukee in their last meeting on Feb. 23, but the Bucks held him to a total of 39 points on 11 of 33 (33%) shooting in the first two games between the teams this season.
But, he was held out of the game Saturday night with a contusion on his right thigh.
Herro became the latest star the Bucks have missed over the last few weeks. Herro was on fire, too, as he averaged 28.9 points while shooting a scorching 48.8% from behind the three-point line since March 23 as the Heat had won six of seven.
Jericho Sims goes through workout at shootaround
Bucks center Jericho Sims is recovering from surgery on his right thumb on March 17, but he went through an extended left-handed workout after the team shot around Saturday morning.
The team, and Sims, have believed he would be cleared in time for the start of the playoffs on April 19-20.
Before the game head coach Doc Rivers said Sims is progressing toward that return.
Sims originally tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb against Indiana on March 15 and played through the injury on March 16 before deciding to have surgery.
He was acquired by the Bucks at the trade deadline in the four-team deal that also brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee and sent Khris Middleton to Washington. Sims played in 14 games for the Bucks, averaging 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 points in 15 minutes per game.
Is Giannis playing?
Yes, per Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. Giannis Antetokounmpo began the day as probable to play vs. the Heat, and participated in the team’s shootaround. The Bucks star is managing a left foot sprain suffered in late March in Phoenix, but he has played the last four games and is averaging 33.3 points, 10.8 assists and 10.0 rebounds in that time.
What time is the Bucks game?
The Bucks and Heat will tip off at 7 p.m. CT.
What channel is the Bucks game on?
The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson, and Melanie Ricks on the call.
Bucks injury report
- Bobby Portis Jr., out (league suspension)
- Jericho Sims, out (right thumb surgery)
- Damian Lillard, out (right calf deep vein thrombosis)
- Rivers: “(The timeline) definitely has changed, medically. Which is good. The location of it is very important as well. And it is, it’s lower. But, it still could be six months. We just don’t know.”
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, available (left foot sprain)
- AJ Green, available (right AC joint sprain)
Bucks probable starters
- Guards: Ryan Rollins, Taurean Prince
- Forwards: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma
- Center: Brook Lopez
Bucks vs. Heat odds, over/under
Miami is a 1.5-point favorite over Milwaukee, and the over/under is set at 213.5, per BetMGM.
Eastern Conference playoff bracket
Heading into Saturday night’s games, here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is shaping up:
No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 8 Play-in winnerNo. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 DetroitNo. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Play-in winnerNo. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Milwaukee
Eastern Conference standings
Heading into Saturday night’s games, here is the rundown of the Eastern Conference standings:
- Cleveland (62-15)
- Boston (57-20)
- New York (48-28)
- Indiana (46-31)
- Detroit (43-34)
- Milwaukee (42-34)
- Orlando (38-40)
- Atlanta (36-40)
- Chicago (35-42)
- Miami (35-42)
