Miami Heat: 3 players who still shined in loss to Milwaukee Bucks

The Miami Heat fell to the Milwaukee Bucks, but a number of players played major roles in keeping them in it up until the final buzzer.

Without Jimmy Butler and Goran Dragic, the Miami Heat just fell short of victory against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Eastern Conference top dog Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday.

It’s almost an expected loss, given the circumstances. But then again, the Heat did put together an 18-point lead at halftime, making the loss actually a bit sour for fans. Still, Miami is firmly in the playoff picture with a 43-26 record and sitting as the Eastern Conference’s fourth seed.

They have four more games remaining in the regular season: the Phoenix Suns, Indiana Pacers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Pacers once more. Between now and next Friday, you’ll know who they’ll be taking on in the first round of the quarantined playoffs.

Thursday’s loss wasn’t without more surprises. Even without Dragic and Butler, Meyers Leonard was still kept at bay on the bench, for the fourth game in a row. After starting all 49 of 49 games he was available before the league’s suspension, he’s seemingly fallen out of the rotation.

It will be interesting to see how head coach Erik Spoelstra manages his rotations going forward and in the playoffs. But until then, a look at three players who shined in Thursday’s loss.