Wade, Heat bury Bucks

Feb 4, 2007, 5:00 GMT

Milwaukee, WI - Dwyane Wade posted 32 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, as the Miami Heat downed the Milwaukee Bucks, 117-98, at the Bradley Center.

Wade, who went 11-of-17 from the field, also extended his franchise-best streak of consecutive games with at least 20 points.

Jason Kapono scored a career-high 28 points for the Heat, who won their third straight. Shaquille O'Neal netted 20 points. Udonis Haslem grabbed 11 boards in the win.

Miami is 10-15 on the road this season, and snapped a five-game losing streak as the visitor.

'It was time to stop the bleeding,' Miami coach Ron Rothstein said. 'Five straight losses, three in overtime and a close on in Chicago that came down to the last shot.'

Mo Williams scored a career-high 38 points for the Bucks, who have lost four straight and 15 of their last 17 games overall. Charlie Villanueva posted 16 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Ruben Patterson had 11 points and Charlie Bell and Earl Boykins both added 10.

'Losing is definitely frustrating,' Milwaukee coach Terry Stotts said. 'Not being able to string together four quarters - it's been a rough road so far.'

The Bucks played the first of a short two-game homestand, and are 10-9 at home this season. The Bucks are scheduled to host Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic on Tuesday.

Both teams went back and forth through the first quarter to keep things tied, 22-22, heading into the second.

Milwaukee went on an 8-0 run in the second capped by a Williams jumper with 7:03 remaining to take a one-point lead, and later went on a 13-2 burst capped by a Brian Skinner three-point play with 2:44 left. The Heat stayed with Milwaukee down the stretch, however, and the Bucks held just a 53-49 halftime lead.

After Williams' jumper 25 seconds into the second half, Miami went on an 11-2 run capped by an O'Neal hook shot with two ticks under nine minutes remaining for a three-point lead.

Miami blew the game open down the stretch, going on a 26-11 run snapped by a pair of Williams buckets in the final seconds for a 90-78 lead heading into the fourth.

The Bucks cut it to six on Villanueva's dunk with 8:09 remaining, but Miami closed the game on a 20-7 burst to eliminate any chance for a Milwaukee rally.

Game Notes

This was the third and final meeting of the campaign between the clubs. The teams split the first two contests, as both clubs picked up a win at home.

Miami has split its last four at Milwaukee, but has won four of the last six contests in the series.

© 2007 The Sports Network