Myles Turner #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks defends Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the first quarter at Fiserv Forum on February 24, 2026 in Milwaukee. Patrick McDermott Getty Images
Five takeaways from the Heat’s 128-117 loss against a Milwaukee Bucks team playing without two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo:
▪ The Heat unraveled late, missing three 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, allowed 39 points during a dismal fourth quarter in which it was outscored by 15 points.
The Bucks shot 49 percent from the field and capitalized on several mindless Miami turnovers.
Milwaukee won for the ninth time in 11 games, while the Heat saw its four-game winning streak snapped.
After Norman Powell hit five free throws over three possessions, 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 would never lead again.
Wiggins then missed a jumper on one possession and missed two frees on Miami’s next possession.
Powell, Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson all missed 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.
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.
After a quiet six-point, two-rebound first half, Bam Adebayo asserted himself in the third quarter, finishing with 18 points, 8 rebounds, a block and a steal. But he was helpless to snap Miami out of its offensive funk in the fourth.
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 and 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.
▪ There remains some mystery to what the Heat’s ceiling is when they have their eight best players available. Tuesday offered only disappointment.
This Bucks game marked only the eighth time that Heat had available arguably top 8 players (Adebayo, Powell, Herro, Wiggins, Mitchell, Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. Pelle Larsson.
With all eight available, the Heat drubbed the Hawks and Clippers; beaten Suns by six and Bucks by three. But Miami has lost by nine to the Magic and by 24 to the Pacers, a game in which “we took them for granted,” Mitchell said.
The Heat entered 5-2 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.
▪ 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.
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 in his third game back from a rib injury. He finished 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 struggled late after another fast start.
With 16 points in the first three quarters, Wiggins seemed poise to top 20 points for a fourth time in six games. But he missed three shots in the final five minutes, ending his offensive roll after a 28-point, 9 for 10 masterpiece against Memphis, and followed two recent 24 point outbursts.
Wiggins chipped in seven rebounds and five assists.
Wiggins has been reliable defensively all season, and his work on that side of the court on Tuesday included three blocks and a steal.
▪ 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,” Erik 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 significant time with several other injuries.