Milwaukee Bucks: Takeaways from 106-101 loss to Miami Heat

Fourth quarter woes

Entering Wednesday night’s game with the third-worst net rating in fourth quarters this year (per NBA.com/stats), the Bucks lived up to their billing with their poor fourth quarter play.

While they were just outscored 28-22 by the Heat in the period, it’s very much a misleading deficit, considering the Bucks, namely Khris Middleton, were doing anything they could to keep the game within reach in the night’s final moments.

With a lineup consisting of Middleton acting as the leading creator for an otherwise all bench unit, the Bucks were fighting an uphill battle when it came to building on their slight one-point lead or preserving it altogether to start the frame.

Even when reinforcements arrived in the form of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Eric Bledsoe and even John Henson, the Bucks couldn’t really dig themselves out of their scoring rut until it was obviously too late.

A frustrating collapse all around, old habits died hard late on Wednesday night proving that no lead, however small or large, is safe when it comes to the Bucks and especially when going against a team like the Heat.