Bucks beat Heat to end 9-game road skid
Updated: 2008-01-03 14:37
MIAMI - Mo Williams reminded the Miami Heat why they wanted him during the offseason, scoring 25 points with nine assists and leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 103-98 victory Wednesday night.
 Milwaukee Bucks forward Yi Jianlian (L) stands on the court with team-mate center Andrew Bogut during the second half of their NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Auburn Hills, Michigan December 31, 2007. [Agencies] |
Charlie Villanueva scored 15 points, Andrew Bogut finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Charlie Bell scored 12 for the Bucks, who snapped a four-game skid and improved to 3-15 on the road.
Dwyane Wade led Miami with 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting, plus eight assists. Ricky Davis scored 23 points and Chris Quinn added 12 for the Heat, who have lost five straight.
Milwaukee scored the last three points of the third quarter to take a 71-67 lead, then put it away by opening the fourth on a 9-0 run capped by Villanueva's 3-pointer with 8:55 left.
Wade hit a 3-pointer - his third of the season with about 28 seconds left to get Miami within five, but the Bucks held on from there. He was not available after the game; team officials said he was getting treatment on right pinkie and right shoulder injuries.
"He's very sore," Heat coach Pat Riley said.
Williams and Bell, both coveted by the Heat last summer combined for 21 points in the final quarter to keep Miami at bay. Williams turned down a $31 million Heat offer and re-signed in Milwaukee for $20 million more, and Bell signed a Miami offer sheet but stayed put when the Bucks matched.
Miami could have used them.
"Today was a good sign of everybody coming together," Williams said. "I thought we played with a will to win. We did a lot of things to put ourselves in a position to win."
Bobby Simmons scored 11 points for Milwaukee. Mark Blount and Daequan Cook each had 11 for Miami, and Udonis Haslem scored 10.
Milwaukee lost its previous nine games on the road by an average of 15.4 points, and was coming off a 45-point drubbing in Detroit on New Year's Eve.
Of course, those "Bienvenido a Miami" signs have been an enjoyable sight for NBA visitors this season.
The Heat fell to 4-11 at home, are a season-worst 16 games under .500 (8-24) and are about to depart on a five-game road trip starting Friday night in Dallas.
And while more than half the season remains to be played, Miami is already seven games out of a playoff spot and needs a massive run just to think about making the postseason.
The Heat again played without Shaquille O'Neal, who missed his third straight game with left hip soreness. And the Bucks quickly exploited his absence, going inside the paint for their first five baskets, including a pair of dunks by Bogut.
Miami adjusted its defense, so Milwaukee changed its tact accordingly. The first 10 Bucks points came inside the paint, and the next 12 came on 3-pointers over the final 5:07 of the quarter after which Miami clung to a 26-22 edge.
Villanueva opened the second quarter with three straight baskets to put Milwaukee back on top, before the Heat answered with an 11-0 run to regain the lead. Miami kept it the remainder of the period and went into the half up 47-45, despite getting only five points on 1-for-2 shooting from Wade in the opening two quarters.
Wade got going in the third, getting one shot to drop in after bouncing near the top of the backboard and scoring 12 points in the quarter on 5-for-7 shooting. Neither team held more than a four-point second-half lead until Milwaukee pulled away by holding Miami scoreless for the first 3:21 of the fourth.
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