Heat loses 123-115 at Milwaukee. Takeaways and reaction. And Butler on All-Star decision

Takeaways from the Heat’s 123-115 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night at Fiserv Forum:

▪ The Heat, with only nine players available, led for the first time in the third quarter but went cold and could never regain the lead in the fourth or overcome the greatness of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Jimmy Butler was brilliant for three quarters, scoring 32 for the game, including 17 in the third, when he nailed jumper after jumper, including one that put the Heat ahead 92-90 late in the third.

But Khris Middleton’s buzzer beater put the Bucks ahead 94-92 after three and the Bucks began the fourth on a 8-0 run. During that spurt, the damage was done not by the Bucks stars, but by Grayson Allen (five points) and Jevon Carter (three).

Butler sat out the first 5:34 of the fourth, returning with the Heat down 105-101 and 6:26 left.

From there, Middleton hit a jumper, and Antekounmpo hit a layup to put the Bucks up eight - a stretch in which Butler missed two shots, Tyler Herro one and Bam Adebayo one.

Miami closed to within 112-106 with 3:20 left but Middleton hit a jumper and then Jrue Holiday hit a three after a turnover by Caleb Martin.

And when the Heat drew to within five, Antetokounmpo hit a driving layup, capping a brilliant triple double: 35 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists.

Then Holiday scored off a Herro turnover to put the Bucks back up nine, essentially settling matters.

“There’s always things you could do better, but they stepped up and they made some shots,” Erik Spoelstra said. “At the beginning of the quarter, before that six-minute mark, we gave up some open threes, probably we could have defended those air-space threes a little bit better. And then you just kind of get as many bodies as you can in front of Giannis. He drew some fouls. I thought we had bodies there.

“So you have to make those plays and get in the gaps, but he has a way of just breaking through and he was able to get through our first and second line of the defense, or draw a foul. And then Middleton had a couple of big buckets where we had them a little bit flattened out, they didn’t get to their normal thing that they wanted to do, and then he was able to create something out of nothing a couple of times. They were key baskets down the stretch.”

The Heat shot 9 for 23 from the field and 1 for 4 on threes in the fourth quarter and were outscored 29-23.

“You’re dealing with two really good defensive teams,” Spoelstra said. “I believe they’re second, we’re fourth. So you’re not going to get the cleanest look every single time down. But Jimmy was able to get to his spots pretty much all night long. That was good to see. Tyler at different points in the game was able to be very efficient. Bam was in his spots.”

Herro’s three at buzzer tied the game at 62 at halftime, and Miami eventually surged ahead in the third, taking its first lead at 77-75, before ultimately succumbing to the brilliance of Antetokounmpo, big shots from Middleton and the Bucks role players.

Butler came out on the attack, scoring 15 points in the first half. But he went scoreless in the fourth.

Herro, playing in his hometown, sizzled in the first half, scoring 18 of his 24 before halftime.

Bam Adebayo shook off a scoreless, no-rebound first quarter and finished with 16 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists.

Martin was an asset, with 17 points and nine rebounds.

Max Strus (11) and Haywood Highsmith (8 points, pesky defense) were helpful off the bench. Highsmith fouled out with 4:17 left and the Bucks ahead by six.

But the defense wasn’t good enough on a night the Bucks shot 52.3 percent.

“We needed stops, that’s the number-one thing,” Herro said. “They’re a high-octane offense, with Giannis coming at you and then shooters around him, Khris and Jrue. They’re a good team, but tonight there were better efforts we could have made at the end.”

Butler said: “Man, they played well, got to the paint, hit the open shooters and they were making shots.”

The Heat opened 1 for 11 on threes and finished 8 for 31.

The Heat stayed afloat in part because Miami was extremely efficient on mid-range shots and because the Bucks missed 11 of 28 free throws.

But nobody was happy with the 1-3 road trip, which began with a bad loss at Charlotte and ended with losses in New York and Milwaukee.

“You definitely have to go home disappointed,” Spoelstra said. “You have to maximize every opportunity when you’re on a road trip like this. It’s hard to win on the road. We’ll gather ourselves. We have three days before we play Indiana, so we’ll calibrate and get ready for that game.

“But certainly we started the road trip in control of a lot of the game in Charlotte, and then for them to come back and get that one. And then New York was a winnable game, as well. Not because of the records, it was more because of the opportunity in key moments in those games that we could have pulled away. But that’s a bunch of ifs and that’s what we have to work on, is our consistency.”

▪ With Kyle Lowry sidelined by knee soreness, the Heat used a lineup that had been very good together in limited minutes.

The starting group of Gabe Vincent with usual starters Butler, Herro, Adebayo and Martin entered with a 1-1 record but having outscored teams by 24 points in 39 minutes on the floor together as a quintet, while shooting 53 percent overall.

But that unit got off to a slow start Saturday; Miami trailed 22-16 when Spoelstra made his first substitutions.

That starting group found its footing in the third quarter, with Milwaukee outscoring Miami by two before Spoelstra went to his bench.

Vincent - who scored 28 and 27 points in two previous games against the Bucks this season - shot 3 for 9 from the field, closing with seven points, an assist and three steals.

▪ Herro, playing in his hometown, was very good early.

A night after having his jersey retired by Whitnall High in the Milwaukee suburbs, Herro came out firing and made 8 of 14 first-half shots in an 18-point first half, including a walk-off three at the halftime buzzer.

“I love playing here, which is home for me, so I only get to play here a couple of times a year, so I enjoy it,” he said.

But he shot 2 or 10 in the second half. He closed with the 24 points, six assists and five rebounds.

“He’s really stepped up to being a legit starter and star in this league,” Spoelstra said before the game. “You have to scheme against him.”

Spoelstra raved about Herro to inquiring Milwaukee reporters, praising his “great work ethic” and how he’s “open to coaching” and adding that his defense has improved while “every team tries to go at him.”

▪ Antetokounmpo was largely unstoppable, easily surpassed his career averages against the Heat.

The Bucks’ two-time league MVP entered having averaged 18.2 points against the Heat, his lowest scoring average against any team. His 49.2 percent career shooting percentage in 30 games against Miami is his second-lowest against any team.

But Antetokounmpo reached his career scoring average against the Heat in the first half alone, scoring 18 on efficient 6 for 7 shooting, while assisting on four other baskets.

Then he scored six points in the first four minutes of the third quarter.

He deftly attacked the Heat both in the halfcourt and in transition. The Heat used Haywood Highsmith on Antetokounmpo after his fast start, and Highsmith did what he could.

Antetokounmpo finished 13 for 19 from the field and 9 for 16 from the free-throw line.

“I definitely felt like it improved as it went on, “ Spoelstra said of the defense on Antetokounmpo. “And I felt like we had bodies in front of him in the fourth quarter, but he was able to draw fouls and still get to the rim.

“But that’s what great players do, they get to their strengths. But in the first quarter, he had 18 points before I could even blink. And there are a few that you don’t know what would have happened if we would have had two or three defenders there. You just try to do what you can do as well as you can, and we did not do that in the first quarter.”

The Heat sent multiple defenders at him in the second half and at least, at times, made it more difficult on the Bucks star.

But nobody is stopping Antetokounmpo, who entered averaging 32.6 points per game this season.

▪ Dewayne Dedmon was used for the first time since his suspension, and his night was unremarkable.

Dedmon hadn’t played a minute since his Jan. 10 one-game suspension for arguing with coaches on the sideline and then throwing medical equipment on the court as he retreated to the locker room.

With Orlando Robinson sidelined by a fractured thumb, Spoelstra opted for Dedmon against a big Bucks front-line after using Udonis Haslem instead on Thursday against the Knicks.

Dedmon wasn’t particularly effective early, picking up three fouls and missing all four of his shots in seven first half minutes, though he did have a rebound, assist and a steal.

To his credit, Dedmon helped force an Antetokounmpo traveling violation early in the fourth. But the Bucks outscored the Heat by 10 during Dedmon’s second half minutes.

Dedmon closed with the two rebounds and no points (0 for 4 shooting) in 12 minutes.

He said he was pleased to play again. “After I got my second wind, I was fine,” he said.

Spoelstra said he opted to use Dedmon in part because of the Bucks’ size, “particularly [7-0 Brook] Lopez. He’s unique how big he is.”

The Heat entered the game having been outscored by 93 points in Dedmon’s 338 minutes on the court this season. That plus/minus is easily the worst on the team. He’s now at minus 101 for the season.

The Heat had only nine players available, and all of them played except Haslem.

Spoelstra said fatigue was not a factor late.

“Our guys were ready; they were not fatigued,” he said. “That had no factor. The factors had more to do with them making more plays. We did not get enough stops in the fourth quarter. It felt like 40.”

▪ The Heat avoided falling out of the sixth seed in the East.

The Knicks lost at home to the Clippers, meaning the Heat remained one game ahead of New York for sixth in the conference.

The seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th seeds must participate in the play-in tournament, something the Heat would obviously like to avoid.

Miami (29-25) fell three games behind No. 5 Cleveland.

NEWS NOTE

Butler expressed no disappointment about not being named to the All Star team. He has appeared in six previous All Star games.

“Me no All-Star? Please,” Butler said when asked if he was disappointed. “I’ll see you’all when I see you’all. But Bam does deserve that. He’s been carrying the load a lot this year. I’m happy for him. As for me? I’m happy I get a vacation.”