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MILWAUKEE — Cold best describes the temperatures in the four cities the Miami Heat will be playing in over the coming week, and the team’s performance to start the trip in Milwaukee was frigid.
A whole lot of nothing went well for the Heat in their most lopsided defeat this season, a 124-86 loss to the Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night.
After a convincing win against the Boston Celtics last Thursday, followed up with a Saturday win over the Memphis Grizzlies, Miami dips back to .500 at 21-21 as it goes through a four-game swing through northern cities Detroit, Chicago and Boston to follow.
The Heat surrendered a six-game win streak against the Bucks (31-12), current owners of the NBA’s second-best record. Miami beat Milwaukee at home in their first meeting, 94-87, on Dec. 22.
While Giannis Antetokounmpo was held to 12 points, the Bucks had seven players in double figures. Guards Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon led Milwaukee with 17 and 16.
Center Hassan Whiteside and forward Justise Winslow each scored 19 points for the Heat. No one else was in double figures as the Heat shot 41.9 percent and turned it over 18 times.
The Heat next face the Pistons in Detroit on Friday.
Five degrees of Heat from Tuesday’s game:
1. Deer on the run: The Bucks finished the first quarter on a 13-2 run to end the period leading 30-23. It was a rebound from their poor shooting start. Milwaukee started by missing 11 of its first 14 attempts, but the Heat could not capitalize, up just 8-7 at that point.
Some quick offense from Tyler Johnson appeared to put a stop to it, but the Milwaukee onslaught continued. They scored 12 unanswered before a Winslow jumper. Then went on another mini-spurt. All in all, Milwaukee outscored the Heat 53-24 after trailing 14-10 to start.
The Heat were able to control the tempo in the early going, but once the Bucks got out in transition, it was hard for Miami to keep up.
After start 3 of 14 from the floor, the Bucks were at 51 percent by halftime, and shooting even better (10 of 19) from beyond the arc.
2. With Greek Freak marginalized: If Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was told he would hold Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, also known as the Greek Freak, to five points on 1-of-5 shooting by halftime, he would think his Heat were in decent position.
The 69-45 advantage at half for Milwaukee came with balanced contribution from a variety of others. Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe were pacing the team with 11 points apiece – Lopez knocking down all three of his first-half 3-pointers. Khris Middleton had nine, Tony Snell eight – each sinking a pair of threes.
Ten different Bucks figured into the first-half scoring.
In the Heat’s Dec.22 victory over Milwaukee at home, they held Antetokounmpo to nine points on 3-of-12 shooting. 3. Whiteside and Winslow: After Whiteside was sidelined on Saturday against the Memphis Grizzlies with an illness, he was back to starting on Tuesday.
Whiteside was active to start, hitting his first four field-goal attempts, including a pair of 17-foot jump shots.
Whiteside and Winslow were two of few bright spots for the Heat in the first half. Whiteside had 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting while Winslow was 6 for 10 for 14 points, three rebounds and four assists at intermission.
With Whiteside’s return to the starting lineup, the Heat were back to the starting five they rolled out for previous five games and 10 of the previous 13 before Saturday's game against Memphis.
4. Eleven again – then
Ellington: Whiteside’s absence on Saturday against Memphis meant Spoelstra went back to playing 10 after sending 11 players out on Thursday against the Celtics.
Spoelstra played 10 by the end of the first quarter, and guard Dion Waiters was the lone man out. He wouldn’t remain sitting long as Waiters then was on the floor for four minutes early in the second quarter. His next action would come in the fourth quarter with the outcome well decided.
The end of the blowout loss also brought guard Wayne Ellington onto the floor for the first time in the Heat’s last nine games, last playing on Dec. 23 against the Orlando Magic.
Missing badly on his first three, Ellington converted on his next attempt from deep.
5. Marquette-themed
sneakers for Wade: With Dwyane Wade back in Milwaukee, the city where he played his college ball at Marquette, Dwyane Wade wore dark blue and gold sneakers.
Playing 22 minutes off the bench, Wade had nine points, three rebounds and four assists in his penultimate trip to Milwaukee. The Heat also visit on March 22.