Milwaukee Bucks ride historic triple-double into deciding NBA game against Miami Heat

MILWAUKEE – Two teams fighting for play-off positioning in the National Basketball Association (NBA) Eastern Conference face off on April 5 (April 6, Singapore time) as the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Miami Heat.

The Bucks (42-34) come in off a thrilling 126-113 comeback victory at the Philadelphia 76ers on April 3, their second win in a row after four straight losses.

They did so thanks mainly to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 35-point, 20-assist, 17-rebound effort – the first time in NBA history someone achieved that stat line.

The 20 assists also served as a career-high for Antetokounmpo. Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham, who took over for an ailing Doc Rivers late in the first half on April 3, spoke on him stepping up as the lead playmaker.

“All the great guys that have come through this league, they make the people around them great as well,” Ham said. “That’s something he has to do until we get (Damian Lillard) back. He’s got to be the leader of our team in terms of making plays.”

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Bucks are hopeful Lillard can return to basketball activities in seven to 10 days. Bobby Portis (suspension) serves his final two games this weekend before returning on April 8, while Jericho Sims (thumb) remains out.

Miami (35-42) come in off a heartbreaking home loss on April 3 as Ja Morant beat the buzzer to give the Memphis Grizzlies a 110-108 victory.

Despite the tough loss, coach Erik Spoelstra is optimistic about his side, who had won six consecutive games before that loss.

“We’re becoming a very tough team,” Spoelstra said. “Three weeks ago on the second night of a back-to-back probably would have been a double-digit game... our execution is getting better.”

On the injury front, Miami were short-handed against Memphis as they played without Terry Rozier (illness), Kevin Love (personal), Nikola Jovic (hand) and Andrew Wiggins (hamstring). Love, Jovic and Wiggins will miss the April 5 game, while Rozier will be available.

Tyler Herro (right thigh) and Haywood Highsmith (left Achilles) are listed as questionable.

In the Feb 23 matchup in Milwaukee, Herro starred with 40 points while Bam Adebayo had 24 and Wiggins 20, but the Heat got just 12 bench points. Lillard led Milwaukee with 28 points and eight assists, while Antetokounmpo added 23 points and 16 rebounds.

When Miami win, they win on the defensive end. They rank fourth in the league with a 104.3 defensive rating in victories and stand 10th (112.1) on the season overall. Milwaukee are just behind the Heat in defensive rating (112.8), but well ahead offensively (114.7).

On April 4, Donovan Mitchell scored 26 points and Evan Mobley added 25 points and 12 rebounds as the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers did just enough to beat the San Antonio Spurs 114-113.

The Cavaliers (62-15) won their third straight contest and reduced their magic number to clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference to one.

Cleveland lead defending league champions the Boston Celtics by five games with five regular-season games left.

In Boston, Jaylen Brown tossed in 31 points and the Celtics broke the NBA record for three-pointers in a season during a 123-103 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns.

The Celtics (57-20) set the record on their eighth trey of the game, a 26-footer by Payton Pritchard with 8min 19sec remaining in the second quarter.

It gave Boston a 44-26 lead. The 2022-23 Golden State Warriors held the previous record (1,363).

In a potential Western Conference Finals preview, the Houston Rockets produced a dominant all-round performance to jolt the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder’s all-conquering preparations for the post-season.

Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun combined for 65 points as Houston halted Oklahoma City’s 11-game winning streak with a statement 125-111 victory. REUTERS, AFP