For the second straight game, the Miami Heat took a win over the Milwaukee Bucks by double digits, but this victory, a 98-86 trouncing, was a bit different.
Milwaukee actually came into the fourth quarter down by just three points with a ton of momentum after cutting the lead down from eight points. A LeBron James-Chris Andersen spark led to a 12-point run to start the fourth and the demise of the Bucks.
Dwyane Wade ended up being key in two different runs, scoring eight points in the third quarter and then a few more to extend the run in the fourth, but LeBron’s stat line makes him impossible to ignore. He put up 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Milwaukee came out in this one looking to show its aggression early on, and it did just that, taking the lead early in the first quarter and not giving it up until there was but a minute left in the first.
Most surprising, it wasn’t Monta Ellis or Brandon Jennings getting to the bucket or hitting jumpers. It was Ersan Ilyasova, Larry Sanders and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute doing everything to find the bottom for the Bucks.
In fact, Ellis and Jennings missed every shot they took in the first half, shockingly opting to set up their teammates and move the ball around the perimeter.
The only problem was that the team on the other side of the ball had LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Oh, and Mario Chalmers. You can’t forget about ‘Rio.
Miami consistently turned the ball over in the first, but ended up putting up enough points to come into the second quarter with a two-point lead.
The story continued in the second. The Heat did enough to stay ahead, while the Bucks did everything in their power to take the lead, just unable to climb over the wall that the advantage created.
