Antetokounmpo, Lillard combine for 65, and Bucks earn quarterfinal berth by topping Heat 131-124
MIAMI (AP) With the game on the line, the Milwaukee Bucks were just about perfect.
And they're headed to the In-Season Tournament quarterfinals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Damian Lillard added 32 and the Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 131-124 on Tuesday night and clinch a home quarterfinal game in the NBA's inaugural in-season event.
“The one thing that we do have going for us is we know how to win the game,” Lillard said. “We know how to do the things to win a game.”
The Bucks closed the game on a 16-6 run, going 5 for 6 from the field and 5 for 5 from the line in that stretch. Khris Middleton scored 17, Malik Beasley had 16 and Brook Lopez 12 for the Bucks, who won East Group B with a 4-0 record.
They'll host wild-card New York next Tuesday, with East Group C winner Boston going to Group A winner Indiana for the other quarterfinal before the Final Four in Las Vegas.
“Let's focus on Chicago and go from there," Bucks coach Adrian Griffin said, noting that his team still has games against the Bulls and Atlanta before the quarterfinal game against the Knicks.
Bam Adebayo scored 31 points for the Heat, who got 21 from Kyle Lowry and 20 from Josh Richardson. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin each scored 14 and Duncan Robinson added 13 for the Heat.
“I felt like we played a very good basketball game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "A very good offensive game, in particular.”
Miami was without Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Haywood Highsmith (back); Butler averaged 37.6 points in Miami’s five-game ouster of Milwaukee in last season’s playoffs, with games of 56 and 42 in the final two matchups of that series.
The Bucks lost Pat Connaughton to a sprained right ankle late in the second quarter.
Lowry made a 3-pointer with 3:25 left to put Miami up 118-115, but the Bucks finished on a 16-6 run. Lillard made three free throws with 1:03 remaining to help put the game out of reach, following a foul call against Richardson and a technical assessed to Spoelstra.
The Heat missed 10 of their first 11 shots and quickly got down 15-2. The 1-for-11 start was the third-worst stretch over the first 5 1/2 minutes of a game this season; Chicago was 0 for 8 against Miami on Nov. 18 and the Los Angeles Clippers were 1 for 12 against Orlando on Oct. 31.
The Bulls went on to win that game. So did the Clippers. And the Heat had the lead at halftime Tuesday.
They had two separate 7-for-8 shooting stretches later in the half, and a 40-point second quarter helped Miami go into the break up 62-59. The lead reached five points in the second half, before Milwaukee rallied.
Miami entered the night with a chance to win its group or be a wild card.
“The In-Season Tournament does give the fans something to get riled up about,” Adebayo said. “And obviously, we're playing an opponent that we've seen before in the playoffs. It was one of those games that was already intense and the In-Season Tournament just added to it.”
UP NEXT
Milwaukee: Visit Chicago on Thursday.
Miami: Host Indiana on Thursday, then again on Saturday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Brook Lopez vs. Bam Adebayo (Giannis Antetokounmpo gains possession) | ||
| 11:47 |  | Brook Lopez misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:43 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 11:37 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 11:31 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 11:21 | | +2 | Malik Beasley makes two point driving layup | 2-0 |
| 10:58 | | Kevin Love misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 10:56 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 10:48 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point cutting layup (Damian Lillard assists) | 4-0 |
| 10:39 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:35 | | Khris Middleton defensive rebound | ||
| 10:28 | | Khris Middleton misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 10:25 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 10:23 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point running layup (Duncan Robinson assists) | 4-2 |
| 10:23 | | Damian Lillard shooting foul (Bam Adebayo draws the foul) | ||
| 10:23 | | Bam Adebayo misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 10:23 | | Khris Middleton defensive rebound | ||
| 10:08 | | Damian Lillard misses two point driving layup | ||
| 10:04 | | Damian Lillard offensive rebound | ||
| 10:01 | | +2 | Damian Lillard makes two point jump shot | 6-2 |
| 9:51 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:51 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 9:51 | | Kyle Lowry personal foul (Loose ball) (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 9:32 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point driving finger roll layup | 8-2 |
| 9:22 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point alley-oop dunk | ||
| 9:22 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 9:12 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 8:58 | | Duncan Robinson misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:56 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:46 | | +2 | Khris Middleton makes two point layup (Brook Lopez assists) | 10-2 |
| 8:29 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:29 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 8:12 | | +2 | Brook Lopez makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 12-2 |
| 8:11 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:55 | | Kyle Lowry misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:54 | | Khris Middleton defensive rebound | ||
| 7:47 | | Khris Middleton misses two point running layup | ||
| 7:44 | | Kyle Lowry defensive rebound | ||
| 7:41 | | Josh Richardson misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 7:38 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 7:26 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:22 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 7:20 | | Bam Adebayo turnover (bad pass) (Giannis Antetokounmpo steals) | ||
| 7:01 | | +3 | Pat Connaughton makes three point jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 15-2 |
| 6:44 | | Kevin Love misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:42 | | Bobby Portis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | Bobby Portis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 6:29 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 6:24 | | +2 | Kyle Lowry makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Kevin Love assists) | 15-4 |
| 6:08 | | Duncan Robinson blocks Malik Beasley's two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 6:05 | | Kyle Lowry defensive rebound | ||
| 6:02 | | +3 | Duncan Robinson makes three point running pullup jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 15-7 |
| 5:44 | | Damian Lillard misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:41 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 5:36 | | Kyle Lowry turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 5:20 | | +2 | Malik Beasley makes two point fadeaway jump shot (Pat Connaughton assists) | 17-7 |
| 5:05 | | +2 | Caleb Martin makes two point cutting dunk (Kevin Love assists) | 17-9 |
| 4:49 | | +2 | Brook Lopez makes two point driving layup (Damian Lillard assists) | 19-9 |
| 4:33 | | +2 | Josh Richardson makes two point driving layup (Kyle Lowry assists) | 19-11 |
| 4:21 | | Brook Lopez misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:19 | | Caleb Martin defensive rebound | ||
| 4:06 | | Caleb Martin misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:05 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 4:05 | | MarJon Beauchamp personal foul (Away from play) (Josh Richardson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:05 | | +1 | Josh Richardson makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 19-12 |
| 4:03 | | +2 | Josh Richardson makes two point driving layup (Kyle Lowry assists) | 19-14 |
| 4:03 | | MarJon Beauchamp shooting foul (Josh Richardson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:03 | | +1 | Josh Richardson makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 19-15 |
| 3:54 | | Kyle Lowry blocks Damian Lillard's two point driving layup | ||
| 3:53 | | Damian Lillard offensive rebound | ||
| 3:43 | | Brook Lopez misses two point layup | ||
| 3:43 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 3:25 | | +3 | Caleb Martin makes three point jump shot (Bam Adebayo assists) | 19-18 |
| 3:22 | | Bucks 60 second timeout | ||
| 3:11 | | +3 | Damian Lillard makes three point stepback jump shot | 22-18 |
| 2:52 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 22-20 |
| 2:36 | | MarJon Beauchamp misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:34 | | Kyle Lowry defensive rebound | ||
| 2:28 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 2:24 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 2:18 | | Pat Connaughton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:18 | | Bucks offensive rebound | ||
| 2:18 | | Kyle Lowry personal foul (Loose ball) (MarJon Beauchamp draws the foul) | ||
| 2:09 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. blocks Damian Lillard's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:06 | | Bam Adebayo defensive rebound | ||
| 1:59 | | Josh Richardson misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:59 | | Bucks defensive rebound | ||
| 1:47 | | +2 | Bobby Portis makes two point turnaround bank hook shot | 24-20 |
| 1:27 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:23 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo defensive rebound | ||
| 1:19 | | Pat Connaughton misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 1:14 | | Josh Richardson defensive rebound | ||
| 1:10 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point running layup | ||
| 1:08 | | Pat Connaughton defensive rebound | ||
| 1:01 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point running layup (Damian Lillard assists) | 26-20 |
| 0:41 | | Caleb Martin misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:37 | | MarJon Beauchamp defensive rebound | ||
| 0:36 | | +2 | Pat Connaughton makes two point running layup (MarJon Beauchamp assists) | 28-20 |
| 0:29 | | Caleb Martin misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 0:27 | | Bam Adebayo offensive rebound | ||
| 0:27 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point tip dunk | 28-22 |
| 0:11 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:07 | | MarJon Beauchamp offensive rebound | ||
| 0:02 | | Caleb Martin shooting foul (Damian Lillard draws the foul) | ||
| 0:02 | | +1 | Damian Lillard makes regular free throw 1 of 3 | 29-22 |
| 0:02 | | +1 | Damian Lillard makes regular free throw 2 of 3 | 30-22 |
| 0:02 | | +1 | Damian Lillard makes regular free throw 3 of 3 | 31-22 |
| 0:00 | | Duncan Robinson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Heat offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:45 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point driving floating bank jump shot (Caleb Martin assists) | 31-24 |
| 11:31 | | Cameron Payne turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 11:22 | | Khris Middleton shooting foul (Jamal Cain draws the foul) | ||
| 11:22 | | +1 | Jamal Cain makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-25 |
| 11:22 | | Jamal Cain misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 11:19 | | Khris Middleton defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | +2 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes two point cutting layup (Khris Middleton assists) | 33-25 |
| 10:50 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 33-27 |
| 10:31 | | Khris Middleton misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:26 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. defensive rebound | ||
| 10:09 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point stepback jump shot | 33-29 |
| 9:50 | | +2 | Bobby Portis makes two point dunk (Cameron Payne assists) | 35-29 |
| 9:34 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point driving finger roll layup | 35-31 |
| 9:15 | | Bobby Portis misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 9:13 | | Duncan Robinson defensive rebound | ||
| 9:02 | | +2 | Bam Adebayo makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 35-33 |
| 8:49 | | Duncan Robinson shooting foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 8:49 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 8:49 | | Bucks offensive rebound | ||
| 8:49 | | +1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 36-33 |
| 8:35 | | +2 | Duncan Robinson makes two point pullup jump shot | 36-35 |
| 8:22 | | Cameron Payne misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:19 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 8:05 | | Caleb Martin misses two point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:01 | | Malik Beasley defensive rebound | ||
| 7:54 | | Caleb Martin shooting foul (Khris Middleton draws the foul) | ||
| 7:54 | | +1 | Khris Middleton makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-35 |
| 7:54 | | +1 | Khris Middleton makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 38-35 |
| 7:43 | | +2 | Jaime Jaquez Jr. makes two point driving layup | 38-37 |
| 7:33 | | +3 | Khris Middleton makes three point stepback jump shot | 41-37 |
| 7:24 | | MarJon Beauchamp shooting foul (Jamal Cain draws the foul) | ||
| 7:24 | | +1 | Jamal Cain makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 41-38 |
| 7:24 | | Jamal Cain misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 7:21 | | MarJon Beauchamp defensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | Khris Middleton misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 7:11 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 7:11 | | MarJon Beauchamp personal foul (Loose ball) (Caleb Martin draws the foul) | ||
| 6:59 | | +3 | Kevin Love makes three point jump shot (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 41-41 |
| 6:46 | | Malik Beasley misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 6:42 | | Kevin Love defensive rebound | ||
| 6:38 | | Kevin Love misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 6:34 | | Cameron Payne defensive rebound | ||
| 6:25 | | Brook Lopez offensive foul (Jaime Jaquez Jr. draws the foul) | ||
| 6:25 | | Brook Lopez turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:25 | | Heat 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:10 | | +3 | Jamal Cain makes three point jump shot (Jaime Jaquez Jr. assists) | 41-44 |
| 5:53 | | Jaime Jaquez Jr. personal foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 5:46 | | +3 | Malik Beasley makes three point pullup jump shot (Damian Lillard assists) | 44-44 |
| 5:32 | | +2 | Josh Richardson makes two point pullup jump shot (Kyle Lowry assists) | 44-46 |
| 5:08 | | Bam Adebayo kicked ball violation | ||
| 5:06 | | Bam Adebayo shooting foul (Giannis Antetokounmpo draws the foul) | ||
| 5:06 | | +1 | Giannis Antetokounmpo makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 45-46 |
| 5:06 | | Giannis Antetokounmpo misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 5:05 | | Heat defensive rebound | ||
| 5:05 | | Brook Lopez personal foul (Loose ball) (Josh Richardson draws the foul) | ||
| 4:51 | | Bam Adebayo misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:47 | | Brook Lopez defensive rebound | ||
| 4:27 | | +2 | Brook Lopez makes two point driving hook shot | 47-46 |
| 4:08 | | Gianni |