Big Three star again, but Miami leave it late to win 101-89 against the Bucks
Facing a high flying team on its own battle ground always seems to bring out the best in the Milwaukee Bucks. Tuesday night against the soaring Miami Heat was no different.
Miami though, seemed prepared for Scott Skiles team, as they launched a knock-out surge down the stretch to fight off the tenacious Bucks.
Dwyane Wade had another huge night. The prolific sharp-shooter pounded 34 points on a 10-of-19 shooting to spearhead the Heat. LeBron James was not far behind, as he continued to be a triple-double threat each night. The two-time reigning MVP bludgeoned
25 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Meanwhile the third cog of the Miami Big Three, Chris Bosh finished with 19 points and 12 boards, as the men from South Beach claimed their seventh straight win.
Although Miami had all the momentum going into the home encounter against the Bucks, the match started at an even pace. The game hung in balance four times, and the lead changed hands on five occasions within the opening six minutes of play, as the Bucks
kept pace with their much fancied rivals. LeBron though, nailed six points in the closing minutes of the first quarter, as the Heat took a 26-20 lead into the second quarter.
After James and Wade stole the limelight in the first twelve minutes, it was Bosh’s turn to shine in the second period. The dazzling forward opened the quarter with four straight free throws. After scoring again on his next two possessions, he made a jumper
midway to hand Miami a 39-28 advantage.
At that point, the game witnessed an uncharacteristic lull from the Heat. Miami’s shooting went cold big time as they shot only 2 for 9 the rest of the quarter, with five turnovers. The Bucks took full advantage of the home team’s mini slump and outscored
Miami 23-8 in that span. Milwaukee scored 14 of those points from the free throw line and closed the first half with a 51-47 lead.
Wade and James however broke the jinx going into the second half, as they came out with all guns blazing, to tie the game at 54 within the first three minutes of the third quarter. Bosh soon joined in the fun, as the Big Three kept Miami at pace with the
Bucks through most of the frame.
With the score tied at 68 late in the third quarter, Heat forward James Jones ripped in a three-pointer from the corner to break the deadlock. The shot from downtown proved to be a game breaker, as Miami initiated a ferocious 18-6 assault bridging the third
and the final quarter, to pull away. The onslaught did not stop there as nearly two minutes later, with the score at 88-81, they rang up another 13 point unanswered spurt to finally seal the game.
Staring at a 20 point deficit with over two minutes remaining, Milwaukee played for pride, as they finished the match with 8-0 run to make the final score a tad respectable at 89-101. The Bucks were led by John Salmons' 18 points and six assists, while centre
Andrew Bogut chipped in with 16.
Milwaukee tried their best to beat Miami on Tuesday night, but their defence went cold when it really mattered, and their inspirational coach was left to rue the opportunity.
"When we were trying to keep contact with them in the second half it got away from us," Scott Skiles said. "We had a couple of missed layups, a couple of open jumpers. They took control of the game and we weren't able to get back into it.
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