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 a 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.
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. 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 their second in a row to fall to 35-43. Milwaukee heads to New Orleans to play the Pelicans on Sunday.
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.”
The Bucks and Pistons have been jockeying for the fifth seed over the last week, and the Pistons (43-34) opened 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.
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 sat out vs. Bucks, with a contusion on his right thigh. Herro became the latest star the Bucks have missed over the last few weeks. He 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.
Bucks center Jericho Sims is recovering from surgery on his right thumb on March 17 and went through a workout on 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.
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.
The Bucks and Heat will tip off at 7 p.m. CT. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson, and Melanie Ricks on the call.
Milwaukee is a 1.5-point favorite over Miami, and the over/under is set at 213.5, per BetMGM. Heading into Saturday night's games, the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is shaping up with Cleveland at the top, followed by Boston, New York, Indiana, Detroit, Milwaukee, Orlando, and Atlanta.
As the playoffs approach, the Bucks look to solidify their position while the Heat hope to bounce back from their recent struggles. This thrilling overtime victory not only boosts the Bucks' morale but also sets the stage for an exciting finish to the regular season.
