Tonight, the Miami Heat visit the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee. This is the final of three contests to be played between the two this season, and the second of two in Wisconsin. Miami is playing in the fourth game of a six game road trip. They lost their first game, 102-89 to the Orlando Magic on Wednesday before beating the Washington Wizards 106-89 on Friday and the Atlanta Hawks, 107-87 last night. They go on to face the Indiana Pacers tomorrow before finishing up against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Milwaukee is in the second game of a three game homestand. They are coming off a 99-94 home loss to the Orlando Magic and will host the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday before heading down to Orlando on Friday. Milwaukee has a 7-5 home record, while the Heat carry in an 9-5 road record.
The teams last met on February 1st in Milwaukee, as the Bucks handed the Heat a 105-97 loss. Brandon Jennings led the Bucks with 31 points and eight assists. Drew Gooden pitched in with 17 points and nine boards, while Erson Ilyasova grabbed 14 rebounds in the victory. LeBron James scored 40 points with eight rebounds and five assists in the losing effort, while Dwyane Wade contributed 23 points with eight rebounds and six assists. Erik Spoelstra spoke to media after the game regarding the Heat using too much man-to-man coverage in the fourth quarter. According to NBA.COM:
"You always have to find a balance with that. We're trying to find a balance where we can take advantage of our guys' strengths of ability to attack and ability to break down the defense. At the same time, we have to do it collectively, and the ball has to move."
NBA CIRCLE - Miami Heat Vs Milwaukee Bucks Highlights Feb 01, 2012 Game Recap.flv (via NBACIRCLE)
Miami beat the Atlanta Hawks on the road last night, 107-87. LeBron James led Miami with 23 points, 13 rebounds and six assists. Dwyane Wade scored 21, and Chris Bosh scored 14 points and 16 rebounds, a season high. Willie Green paced Atlanta with 17 points on the night, while Joe Johnson was the only other Hawk in double figures, with 12. James spoke about the Heat's first game of their back-to-back-to-back, according to NBA.COM,
"We couldn't have scripted a better start [to the three-games-in-three-days run]. We played Miami Heat basketball . . . we were able to get stops defensively, and transition translates into offense . . . I wanted to rebound tonight because it enables me to push the tempo."
Miami Heat Vs Atlanta Hawks 2-12-12 Highlights (via nbahighlights9999)
The Orlando Magic beat the Bucks in Milwaukee, 99-94 on Saturday. Jason Richardson led the Magic with 31 points, going 9-for-11 from three-point range. Dwight Howard scored 11 points and grabbed 14 rebounds. Hedo Turkoglu pitched in with 19 points and six assists. The Bucks were led by 21 from Drew Gooden, while Erson Ilyasova scored 17 with 16 rebounds in the losing effort. Magic coach Stan Van Gundy, on Richardson's long range prowess, according to NBA.COM,
"At the end he was just knocking down shots. But as almost always happens when guys go on those runs, he got a couple open ones that get them going. And then you're just feeling it."
NBA CIRCLE - Orlando Magic Vs Milwaukee Bucks Highlights Feb 11, 2012 Game Recap (via NBACIRCLE)
Standings:
Miami Heat: 21-7, first in the Southeast Division, second in the Eastern Conference, third in the NBA. on pace for a 50-16 record. Last five games: W-W-L-W-W
Milwaukee Bucks: 12-15, third in the Central Division, ninth in the Eastern Conference, tied for 20th in the NBA, on pace for a 29-37 record. Last five games: L-L-W-W-L
Season Series: Bucks, 2-0
All-Time Series: Miami, 53-33
Gametime: 8:00 ET