By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Milwaukee Bucks cruised past the Miami Heat to extend their winning streak to five straight games, 125-96, in the ongoing NBA regular season on January 24, 2025.
After facing a schedule delay when their game against the New Orleans Pelicans got cancelled due to weather issues, the Bucks savored another day of rest and preserved their energy in their home floor that featured a blowout.
Milwaukee overcame an early first-quarter deficit and stepped on the gas pedal in the second frame, overpowering the Heat, 44-25, which helped them establish a comfortable 16-point advantage heading into the second half.
That second-quarter rally sucked the life out of the Heat. They were just no match to Milwaukee’s superstar duo of Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo who outworked them in the period alone.
Antetokounmpo began Milwaukee’s insane scoring display with a series of breakaway dunks before Lillard took over in the closing minutes with his long bombs and aggressive foul-counted layups.
As the match went longer, the Heat just couldn’t endure Milwaukee’s firepower as they also received a load of scoring from Gary Trent and Bobby Portis off the bench.
The reliable bench contributors continued what Lillard and Antetokounmpo started, firing triple after triple that ballooned Milwaukee’s largest lead to as much as 32 points.
With the Heat struggling to find their mark from the three-point line and the charity stripe, the Bucks went on a demoralizing 31-22 run in the fourth to seal the deal and improve their NBA standing to fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Lillard led the Milwaukee assault with a near triple-double performance of 29 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and two steals. The spitfire scorer drained five three-pointers and was perfect from the free throw line, converting all his six attempts.
Meanwhile, Antetokounmpo tallied another efficient stat line of 25 markers built from 10/18 shooting from the field alongside 12 boards, four dimes, and three blocks.
Trent and Portis each chipped in 21 and 16 points, respectively, while veteran center Brook Lopez added 11 markers, four rebounds, three blocks, and a steal.
Milwaukee will aim for its sixth straight victory on January 26, 2025, when it faces Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers in an inter-conference showdown.
