Heat Bounce Bucks (Again)
Alonzo Mourning followed the game plan perfectly.
He grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds, scored 19 points and blocked five shots to lead the Miami Heat over the Milwaukee Bucks 84-76 Wednesday night. The Heat dominated the boards, outrebounding Milwaukee 63-44.
"We made a concerted effort to attack the glass and take the ball straight to the basket," Mourning said. "We know what we're capable of doing. We just take advantage of what the defense gives us. We were very unselfish."
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Tim Hardaway scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as the Heat beat the Bucks for the 21st time in their last 22 meetings.
Mouring's two free-thows started an 8-0 Miami run to snap a 74-74 tie and halt a Heat two-game losing streak.
"Good teams will step up and stop the beginning of a slide," Miami coach Pat Riley said. "If we lost, then it's three in a row, then we go to Minnesota, and you never know. You've got to put a stop to it. Coming in here tired, coming in here fatigued, coming in here a little bit disheartened, it's a good win."
After Glenn Robinson scored five straight points to tie the game at 74, Mourning gave the Heat the lead for good. Dan Majerle hit a 3-point basket and Hardaway completed the spurt with a field goal and free throw for an 82-74 lead.
"I don't know if they got an easy shot in that group," Milwaukee coach George Karl said. "But I'm having trouble with barometers, tests and all that. I wanted to win."
Hardawa scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half as Miami ran their victory string at the Bradley Center to 12 in a row.
Robinson scored 17 points for Milwaukee after playing just three minutes in the first quarter because of foul trouble.
"I'd rather lose to them than lose to a team that we shouldn't get beat by at home," he said. "I don't feel good about the loss, but I don't feel as bad as I did with some of the other losses in this building."
Majerle's first basket of the game gave Miami a 68-65 lead with 9:06 to play. Milwaukee regained the lead at 69-68 on two free throws by Robinson and a field goal by Vinny Del Negro at the 7:57 mark.
Miami scored the next six points to take a 74-69 lead before Robinson tied the game with two field goals and a free throw with 3:16 to play.
The first half ended with Ray Allen and Armen Gilliam combining to score the Bucks' last nine points for a 47-41 lead.
Notes
Miami leads Milwaukee in the all-time series, 27-11. ... The last time Milwaukee beat Miami at the Bradley Center was on Dec. 2, 1992. ... Former Marquette University coach Mike Deane sat one row behind the media.
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