Heat goes cold late, squanders game in Milwaukee as its three-game win streak ends
Five takeaways from the Heat’s 128-117 road loss on Tuesday against a Milwaukee Bucks team playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo:
▪ The Heat unraveled late, missing four consecutive free throws and going cold from the field, watching helplessly as Milwaukee unleashed a 16-2 run to close the game.
Miami, which entered fourth in the league in defensive rating (points permitted per 100 possessions), allowed 39 points during a dismal fourth quarter in which it was outscored by 15.
That was the second-highest point total permitted by the Heat in the final quarter of a game this season. The Bucks shot 15 for 21 from the field and 5 for 9 on threes in the fourth, closing at 49 percent from the field.
“Defensively it wasn’t a great game,” Erik Spoelstra said. “It would have required a whole lot more.”
Offensively, the Heat (31-28) didn’t hit a shot from the field in the final 6:33 of the game and went 5 for 20 from the field and 3 for 14 on threes in the fourth.
For the game, Miami made only 16 of 48 threes (33 percent) and committed 16 turnovers.
“I didn’t have a problem with the shots,” Spoelstra said. “We scored 117 tonight. Your defense has to travel.”
Milwaukee won for the ninth time in 11 games, while the Heat saw its three-game winning streak snapped.
After Norman Powell hit five free throws over three possessions to put Miami up by one, Milwaukee’s Kevin Porter Jr. converted a four-point play (a three and a free throw off a Davion Mitchell foul) to put the Bucks up three with 3:30 left, only their third lead of the fourth quarter. Miami never led again.
Andrew Wiggins then missed a jumper on one possession and missed two free throws on Miami’s next possession.
Powell, Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson all missed subsequent shots, while Porter (32 points) and Ryan Rollins (21) hit big baskets on the other end, pushing the Bucks’ lead to 124-116. Wiggins then missed another jumper.
It was a lost night for Miami, which led for nearly all of the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter before falling apart.
The Heat opened 20 for 22 from the line but then missed four in a row - two by Powell and two by Wiggins.
Powell led Miami with 26; he shot 6 for 14 from the field and 11 for 14 on threes. “I’m mad I missed three free thows again,” he said.
He also committed a game-high six turnovers.
After a quiet six-point, two-rebound first half, Adebayo asserted himself in the third quarter, finishing with 18 points, 9 rebounds, a block and a steal.
But Adebayo -- who has been the Heat’s worst clutch shooter this season, per NBA.com -- was helpless to snap Miami out of its offensive funk in the fourth. He finished 8 for 19 from the field and 2 for 8 on threes.
Wiggins scored 16 in the first three quarters, then couldn’t hit a basket in the fourth.
Kel’el Ware was enormously impactful during his second half minutes but was on the bench when Milwaukee went on its late run.
The No. 8 Heat fell 1 ½ games behind No. 6 Philadelphia, which won at Indiana on Tuesday. The Heat plays at the 76ers on Thursday to complete this two-game trip.
▪ There remains some mystery about what the Heat’s ceiling is when they have their eight best players available, as it did against Milwaukee.
This Bucks game marked only the ninth time that Heat had available arguably its top eight players (Adebayo, Powell, Herro, Wiggins, Mitchell, Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Larsson).
With all eight of those players available, the Heat previously drubbed the Hawks and Clippers and beat the Suns by six and the Bucks by three.
But with those eight available, Miami also lost by nine to the Magic and by 24 to the Pacers, a game in which “we took them for granted,” Mitchell said. And Tuesday’s loss left the Heat at 6-3 with those eight in uniform.
The Heat fell to 5-3 with a starting lineup of Adebayo, Wiggins, Larsson, Mitchell and Powell.
Entering Tuesday, that group had outscored teams by 63 points in 86 minutes while shooting 52 percent from the field and 47 percent on threes.
On Tuesday, that starting quintet was decent but not dominant and couldn’t seize control when given a chance to play together during clutch time. Spoelstra eventually re-inserted Herro late.
▪ Herro and Ware - also known as the ‘Giannis Antetokounmpo trade package’ - were uneven early but Ware then left quite the impression in the second half.
Ware had a quiet first half, with two points and two rebounds in 10 minutes, but came alive after intermission, dunking three times, hitting a three and collecting 12 points and 6 rebounds in nine second half minutes. He finished with 14 points and 8 rebounds in 19 minutes.
Ware entered averaging 14 points and 12 rebounds in just 22 minutes per game over his previous five games.
Herro, a Milwaukee native, opened 1 for 7 and shot 5 for 17 (and 3 for 9 on threes) in his third game back from a rib injury. He closed with 14 points, six assists and three turnovers in 25 minutes.
But Herro had some good moments, including an alley-oop to Ware for a dunk late in the third and a three early in the fourth.
▪ Wiggins, who had been on a roll offensively, was very good early but went cold late.
With 16 points in the first three quarters, Wiggins seemed poised to top 20 points for a fourth time in six games, something he hasn’t done all season.
But he missed four shots (including two free throws) in the final five minutes, ending his offensive roll after a 28-point, 9 for 10 masterpiece on Saturday against Memphis, a game which followed two recent 24 point outbursts.
Wiggins finished 5 for 12 from the field, chipping in eight rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
▪ Nikola Jovic, who’s out of the rotation, is now out altogether.
After flying with the team to Milwaukee, Jovic returned to South Florida to receive treatment on his ailing back.
“We feel optimistic the treatment will help speed up the process,” Spoelstra said.
“It’s nothing sinister that we won’t be able to handle. But we do need to calm it down to... make him comfortable when he’s out there.”
Jovic missed significant time during his rookie season (2022-2023) with a stress reaction in his lower back and has missed time with several other injuries over the past four seasons.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 10:32 PM.
