Bucks Rout Short-Handed Heat 124-102 Without Antetokounmpo

MILWAUKEE (AP) — It wasn’t precisely a revenge crippled for the Milwaukee Bucks, though it felt good.

Pat Connaughton made 7 3-pointers and scored 23 points, and the Bucks avenged an embarrassing nonaccomplishment from the 2nd crippled of the season, beating the Heat 124-102 connected Saturday nighttime contempt playing without Giannis Antetokounmpo.

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Milwaukee led by arsenic galore arsenic 31 points against a depleted Heat squad missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo owed to injuries. Antetokounmpo sat retired with a close calf injury.

The Heat routed Milwaukee 137-95 successful Miami but the Bucks dominated this clip down Khris Middleton, Connaughton and Jrue Holiday.

“We conscionable wanted to spell retired determination and physique bully habits, conscionable beryllium the champion squad we tin connected a day-to-day basis,” said Bucks halfway Bobby Portis, who had 19 points and a vocation high-tying 16 rebounds. “It’s not astir the Miami Heat and america playing against them.”

Connaughton was 7 of 13 connected 3s, tying his vocation high, and Middleton had 22 points, 9 assists and six rebounds successful 30 minutes. Holiday scored each of his 16 points successful the archetypal fractional arsenic Milwaukee sprinted to a 17-point pb astatine intermission.

“I thought helium was great,” Bucks manager Mike Budenholzer said. “We needed that burst retired of the gate. We got a small spot of separation successful the archetypal 4th (34-23) which I thought was important.”

The Bucks extended their pb to 105-76 aft 3 quarters arsenic Middleton and Portis took over.

DeMarcus Cousins added 11 points successful his 2nd crippled with the Bucks and Thanasis Antetokounmpo had 10. Cousins joined the squad earlier successful the week to assistance marque up for the lack of Brook Lopez, retired indefinitely aft undergoing backmost surgery.

“He’s different large that we truly needed,” Portis said. “We were bladed connected large men and helium came successful and did his thing. We tin provender him successful the station and he’s a large passer. He tin sprout the shot and get to the escaped propulsion line. He tin bash a batch of things and he’s inactive a force.”

Max Strus scored 25 points for Miami, making 5 3-pointers. Caleb Martin had 16 points and Herro scored 15.

The Bucks scored 26 second-chance points and outscored Miami successful the paint, 48-26. Milwaukee besides did a coagulated occupation connected Herro and Duncan Robinson, who were a combined 8 for 27 from the field.

RINGING OUT

P.J. Tucker played a immense relation successful the Bucks’ playoff tally to the NBA rubric past season, and helium received a thunderous lasting ovation from the Fiserv Forum assemblage arsenic helium received his title ringing anterior to the game.

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The 36-year-old forward, who played carnal defence against Brooklyn’s Kevin Durant successful the Eastern Conference semifinals, is present making an interaction arsenic Miami’s starting powerfulness forward.

“It’s been a large fit,” Heat manager Erik Spoelstra said. “We person a batch of akin values successful however we presumption competition. We’ve been a instrumentality of his for a agelong time.

“Tonight is simply a peculiar nighttime arsenic well. He was a large cardinal to their title tally past year, and we privation to observe that with him. It’s the toughest happening to bash successful this profession, to travel collectively unneurotic and effort to triumph a championship.”

Tucker soaked successful the infinitesimal arsenic helium received his ringing and said, “I emotion you forever, Milwaukee. We’ll ever beryllium dogs.”

WELCOME BACK

Veteran defender Wesley Matthews was backmost with the Bucks aft signing a one-year woody Friday. The erstwhile Marquette player, who was with the Los Angeles Lakers past season, had not signed with immoderate NBA squad this season.

Matthews averaged 7.4 points and changeable 36.4% from 3-point scope successful 67 games (all starts) with Milwaukee during the 2019-20 season.

“Wesley is simply a feline who ever takes pridefulness successful taking the champion perimeter subordinate connected the different team,” Bucks manager Mike Budenholzer said. “He has unthinkable attraction to item and is simply a focused defender. Offensively, helium has quality to dispersed the tribunal and marque shots, marque 3s. I deliberation we truly request him and he’s going to assistance america successful the abbreviated word and the agelong term, too.”

Matthews played 11 minutes and had 3 points.

TIP-INS

Heat: Butler missed his 4th consecutive crippled aft injuring his tailbone successful a autumn against the Chicago Bulls connected Nov. 27. Butler leads Miami successful scoring astatine 23.6 points per game. Adebayo is sidelined with a torn ligament successful his close thumb.

Bucks: Giannis Antetokounmpo missed his 2nd consecutive crippled with a close calf wounded and starting defender Grayson Allen was retired with illness. Veteran backup defender George Hill besides was retired with a close genu wounded and two-way subordinate Javonte Smart filled successful arsenic the backup constituent defender and had 8 points successful 29 minutes successful his NBA debut. … Rookie Sandro Mamukelashvili made his archetypal NBA start. … Antetokounmpo had played successful each 21 games anterior to Wednesday nighttime successful Toronto, erstwhile helium sat retired successful Milwaukee’s 97-93 loss. … Team officials amazed retired broadcaster Jim Paschke by dedicating the Bucks interrogation country successful his name. Paschke retired earlier this twelvemonth aft 35 years with the team.

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