NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking points from Milwaukee Bucks vs Miami Heat

The Milwaukee Bucks were down 20 at the half but put together a valiant effort to pull through for a heroic 113-98 come-from-behind win; one they will remember for quite some time. The eighth-seeded Miami Heat might have looked at it as a potential playoff first-round matchup from their perspective, considering Bucks hold on to their No. 1 spot.

Coming into this one, the Bucks had just handed the Pelicans a 17-point beating. This win has now taken them even higher on the East leaderboard, sitting at 52-17(0.754) on the season. They were the first team in the league to officially bag a playoff berth this year and are contenders to spoil Golden State's three-peat dreams without a doubt.

On the other hand, Miami almost became the second team after the Suns this season to beat Milwaukee twice, but couldn't hold on down the stretch. The loss pushed them 19.5 games behind the team they lost to on the standings, now hanging by a thread down at the 8th spot. They now hold a 32-36(0.471) win-loss record on the season, with this being just their second loss in the last seven games.

Let's draw out some major talking points from this resilient win by the mighty Bucks over the ailing Heat side.

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#1 Second half comeback by Milwaukee one for the books

Giannis is having an MVP-caliber season for his team.

The Bucks trailed 62-42 to the Heat at halftime. To put it in simple words, they came out of the break to put together 37 and 34 points in the final two quarters, restricting Miami to just 18 in each.

"To do what we did in the second half, I'm just pleased with the guys the way they were able to flip it,'' Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. "Our defense fuels our offense. We want that to be our identity.''

The 23-point comeback was Milwaukee's biggest rally of the season. The Heat shot a miserable 5-of-20 in the third period and the lead was down to one by the start of the final period.

This was only the fifth time in the season that the Bucks found themselves trailing by 20 or more, and they have now two such contests this year.

#2 Bucks pair of All-Stars step up big time

Khris Middleton was named an All-Star for the first time in his career this year.

Led by quality All-Stars in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, the Bucks tied a franchise record for second-half comebacks. The East All-Star captain finished with 33 points, 16 rebounds, and 9 assists to lead his team to a win when they needed him the most.

"It doesn't matter if you're down 20, 15, 10,'' said Antetokounmpo. "We're going to keep playing hard. It's a process. You've got to win games like this. You've got to face adversity when you're playing on the road. In the playoffs, it's not going to be easy. We want to be a great team and that's why we keep playing hard.''

Giannis also chipped in with 2 steals and 3 blocks on the defensive end.

Small forward Khris Middleton ended with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists on an efficient 50% shooting night from the floor. The 27-year-old did so in 32 minutes, committing just 1 turnover in the process.

#3 Seven Miami Heat players score in double digits

This was Miami's 4th loss when leading by 20 or more at the half.

Justise Winslow led the scoring for the Heat, dropping a team-high 20 points on 8-16 shooting from the floor. All the other starters scored at least 10 points, combining for 41 points on the night.

Center Adebayo also chimed in with a sweet double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. Backup Center Hassan Whiteside came off the bench and recorded a double-double for himself, scoring 14 points and pulling 11 boards in 19 minutes of playing time.

Veteran Dwyane Wade had a subpar 5-of-16 shooting night from the floor but managed to contribute his share of 10 points to Miami's losing cause.

The Heat defense made the Bucks commit 15 turnovers on the night, pulling 6 out of the Greek Freak himself. Miami, as a team, shot a decent 41% from the field and 36% from downtown.