The Miami Heat returned to the winners list, outscoring Milwaukee 48-25 in the second half.
Final: Miami 96 Milwaukee 73
The Miami Heat overcame a cold start to the game, with their defence coming to the fore in a 96-73 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. In the process, they snapped a six-game losing streak. The Bucks come out on fire and led the Heat 20-6 with five minutes remaining in the first period. However the Heat managed to grind away for the rest of the half to bring scores level at 48 apiece at the main break.
Following early foul trouble which saw him play just eight first-half minutes, Hassan Whiteside exploded in the second half. Whiteside finished with 12 points, 17 rebounds and seven blocks and completely dominated the paint following an incredibly frustrating first half. Dion Waiters led the all scorers with 23 points and Josh Richardson posted 18 points for the Heat, who won the game convincingly despite shooting just 40.2 percent from the field.
With a combination of terrific Heat defence and terrible shooting, the Bucks shot just 32.9 percent from the field, with up-and-coming forward Jabari Parker struggling mightily for his 11 points on 5-of-20 from the field. The Bucks were led by Giannis Antetokounmpo and Tony Snell who each totalled 14 points. With Goran Dragic returning from a three-game absence due to an ankle injury, the Heat featured yet another different starting lineup.
One concerning aspect for the Heat despite the impressive win was their free-throw shooting. Already last in the league from the foul line at 66.5 percent, the Heat converted just 11-of-21 in what seems to becoming a worrying trend. However led by Whiteside, the Heat won the battle of the boards convincingly, 59-48.
And following a game which saw them commit 23 turnovers, the Heat turned the ball over just seven times in this contest.
The Heat kick off their four-game road trip on Saturday night when they take on the Washington Wizards. Game starts 7pm ET.