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The undermanned Miami Heat opened a six-game road trip with a matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Jimmy Butler, who was granted a leave of absence for personal reasons, did not travel with the team. Terry Rozier (right knee sprain) and Josh Richardson (right shoulder dislocation) were also inactive for the Heat.
The Bucks had several players on the injury report but were eventually cleared to play, except for Khris Middleton, who is dealing with a left ankle sprain. With manpower and home-court advantages, the host team was looking to go up 3-0 in the season series.
Despite their injury-ravaged roster, the Heat came out strong and took a 69-52 lead after the first half. Duncan Robinson, Tyler Herro and Nikola Jovic combined for 44 points to tow Miami to a sizable advantage heading into the second half.
The Milwaukee Bucks tried to overhaul the lead starting the third quarter but the Miami Heat snuffed out one rally after another. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr. gave the Heat a boost in the said period with his two-way impact. Miami took a 98-76 advantage as the game entered the fourth frame.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who already had 23 points after three quarters, couldn’t add to his total in the fourth canto. He did have 11 rebounds and eight assists as the Bucks eventually gave up the chase. Damian Lillard had a poor outing, finishing with 16 points on 14 shots in Milwaukee’s embarrassing 123-97 home loss to the undermanned Heat.
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks game player stats
Miami Heat game player stats
Nikola Jovic may have played the best game of his NBA career. He had 24 points, the most he has scored in the league, to go with seven rebounds, three assists and one steal. Milwaukee started putting Antetokounmpo on him in the second half and he still delivered.
Bam Adebayo was quietly impressive in the win, doing everything the team needed him to do. He tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, two steals and stellar defense on “The Greek Freak.”
Here are the Heat’s’ game player stats:
Milwaukee Bucks game player stats
Antetokounmpo flirted with a triple-double, putting up 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists with two blocks. It was a subpar game by his standards and his teammates didn’t pick him up. Damian Lillard and Malik Beasley combined for 32 points, five assists, five rebounds and three steals but the Bucks didn’t have enough to beat the Heat.
Here are the Bucks’ player stats:
Miami Heat vs Milwaukee Bucks game player ratings
Miami Heat game player ratings
Jamal Cain, Alondes Williams, Cole Swider and Orlando Robinson, who played less than seven minutes, had negative net ratings for Miami for the Miami Heat. Unsurprisingly, Bam Adebayo had the best mark among the Heat starters with +45.5.
Here is the Heat's game player ratings:
Milwaukee Bucks game player ratings
Most of the Bucks finished the game with negative net rating with Malik Beasley earning the worst mark among the starters with -39.7. Damian Lillard is just a step down with -39.5. Four players who didn't see much action were the only ones from Milwaukee who had positive net ratings.
Here are the Milwaukee Bucks' game player ratings:
