Milwaukee Bucks (25-31) beat Miami Heat (31-28) 128-117 at home on Tuesday, February 24. The Heat led after three quarters, but the Bucks took control in the fourth.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Bucks had the better start, winning the first 30-29 to lead by 1 after one. The Bucks kept the pressure on with a 33-29 second quarter, carrying a 5-point lead into halftime.
The Heat won the third 35-26 to turn the game around, taking a 4-point lead into the fourth. The Bucks took the fourth 39-24; the Bucks completed the comeback for a 128-117 regulation win.
What decided it
The Bucks took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.5% of possessions compared with 14.8% for the Heat. The Bucks got more from their shots, finishing at 57.7% effective field-goal shooting compared with 51.1% for the Heat. Those extra possessions were crucial.
The Heat did win one battle, second chances: ORB% of 28% against 21.3%. The Bucks made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 107 possessions per team, the Bucks produced 120.1 points per 100 possessions to 109.7 for the Heat.
Who made the difference
Kevin Porter Jr. was the game's biggest individual force for MIL: 32 pts, 7 reb, 7 ast on 11-20 shooting. His Game Score of 31.5 led everyone. His team was +10 with him on the floor.
Andrew Wiggins led the Heat with 16 pts, 8 reb, 5 ast, 3 blk on 5-12 shooting, good for a 18.2 Game Score.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 51% for the Bucks.
Across the last 5 meetings in our records, Milwaukee Bucks lead 4-1.
The Bucks are now 25-31, and the Heat are 31-28. The Bucks last five before this game: L-W-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.