Heat Blow Another 4th Quarter Lead in 120-113 Loss to Bucks

Milwaukee, WI –For most of the game, the Miami Heat had the upper hand against the Milwaukee Bucks. Through the first three quarters, the Heat were shooting for 50%. They were up by 10 points at halftime and eight going into the final quarter. Once Tyler Herro sat down to get some rest, Milwaukee seized the opportunity to go on a scoring attack of their own. Ultimately, the defense for the Heat squandered their lead in yet another 4th quarter collapse against the Bucks.

Wasted effort from Tyler Herro

In what has already been an All-Star studded campaign for Tyler Herro, he added more to it. Herro scored 40 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out 11 assists. It was his third game this season reaching the 40+ point mark.

However, his impressive double-double wasn’t enough against the Bucks. He played 40 minutes, and it was obvious that as soon as he got some rest on the bench, the Bucks took advantage. Without him on the court, the Heat just didn’t have anyone else to step up as their go-to guy on offense.

Tyler, the Magician 🪄

Boy Wonder up to 35 points pic.twitter.com/NWm7igXqiQ

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 24, 2025

Jovic suffers a broken hand

Nikola Jovic appeared to have gotten a right-hand injury during the first quarter but managed to play through it going into halftime. Once he got an X-ray scan, what had been feared to be worst, ended up being true. The results came back positive, revealing that Jovic fractured a metacarpal in his right hand.

He’s set to miss a few weeks with a probable return date set for mid-April. However, this will probably hinge on whether he needs surgery or not and if the Heat are fighting for a playoff spot. After the game though, he was all smiles with a positive attitude.

An update from Niko on his hand injury ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/cQ6CXC8hT0

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 24, 2025

Expect to see Kyle Anderson get more playing time at power forward. A rotation spot featuring Haywood Highsmith and Jaime Jaquez Jr. could occur as well.

Here we go again

It’s jaw-dropping the amount of leads the Heat have held in the 4th quarter this season, only to eventually throw the game away. Miami has blown numerous 4th-quarter leads so far this season. It has become a familiar script for a team that’s below .500 and is barely hanging onto a play-in tournament spot.

In total, they’ve blown double-digit in 14 losses this season. They clearly struggle against good teams and dominate against bad ones. The Heat hold an 8-20 record against teams with winning records and have an 15-5 record against teams with a bottom-10 point differential.

In three of their past six games, the Heat have been outscored by 15+ points in the 4th quarter. They were outscored 35-20 against the Bucks.

Miami Heat blown leads this season:

Up 22, 11:35 left 4Q vs ORL
Up 17, 7:45 left 4Q vs SAC
Up 16, 8:40 left 3Q vs OKC
Up 15, 2:53 left 3Q vs PHX
Up 13, 7:57 left 3Q vs NYK
Up 11, 5:11 left 3Q vs MIL
Up 10, 3:45 left 3Q vs LAL
Up 8, 2:06 left OT vs DET

This is absolutely… pic.twitter.com/oRWqwj95BF

— 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝘾𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 (@WadexFlash) February 24, 2025

The missing link

Most of Miami’s starters played their part on offense, but it’s obvious the Heat need a true superstar who can close games. Tyler Herro is the Heat’s number one superstar right now but he’s not yet at the elite level of Giannis Antetokonumpo or Damian Lillard.

Not enough people are talking about this…

Giannis spun between two defenders at the 3-point line and laid it in without taking another dribble. 🤯 https://t.co/wrJ0ZKkFmC pic.twitter.com/iIFzD3wlDr

— Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) February 24, 2025

Antetokonumpo scored 23 points, grabbed 16 boards, and had seven assists. Lillard scored 28 points and dished out eight assists.

The Heat need a player who can reliability close games in the 4th quarter when they’re close. Until one appears, they will continue to struggle against the best teams.

Redemption against the Hawks

The Heat will face off against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Tipoff is at 7:30 PM at the State Farm Arena. It’s the 11th time this season they play back-to-back. They have a 2-8 record on the first game of a back-to-back but have a 6-4 record in the second game of such occasions.