MILWAUKEE – Brandon Jennings scored 25 points and Mike Dunleavy had 13 of his 18 in the fourth quarter as the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Miami Heat 104-85 on Saturday night to spoil Dwyane Wade’s return.
Wade was back after serving a one-game suspension for flailing his leg and making contact with guard Ramon Sessions’ groin during the Heat’s 105-92 victory over Charlotte on Wednesday. Wade sat out Miami’s 109-99 loss to Detroit on Friday night, which snapped the Heat’s six-game winning streak.
Wade had 24 points on 10-of-19 shooting, four assists, six rebounds and three turnovers. LeBron James scored 26 as Miami failed to reach 100 points for just the third time in 28 games.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute scored 19 points for the Bucks, and Larry Sanders had 16 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Monta Ellis added 14 points for Milwaukee as it avenged a 113-106 overtime loss to the Heat in Miami on Nov. 21.
Dunleavy also had nine rebounds, six assists and three steals for the Bucks, who outscored Miami 35-14 in the fourth.
After Jennings hit a 3-pointer, Miami called a timeout and removed Wade, James and Chris Bosh with Milwaukee ahead 100-79 with 3:13 to play.
The Bucks improved to 16-12, their best 28-game start since opening the 2005-06 season 17-11. Miami (20-8) fell to 6-6 on the road.
Bosh had 12 points and 16 rebounds for the Heat, who came in averaging 103.4 points a game while the Bucks were at 95.6.
It got chippy late in the game with Milwaukee pulling away.
After Wade turned the ball over, Jennings picked it up and raced down the court. Mario Chalmers, trailing the play, caught up with Jennings and then slowed him down by wrapping his right arm around Jennings’ neck. As momentum carried Chalmers toward the baseline, Jennings followed after him, glaring all the way.
Chalmers was called for a flagrant foul. Jennings made both free throws and Milwaukee retained the ball. Moments later, Mbah a Moute scored and the Bucks led 92-76.
The Bucks regained their shooting touch and the lead with a 16-0 spurt that bridged the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth. Mbah a Moute capped the surge with a 3 that gave Milwaukee an 84-75 lead. When Sanders dunked and then spun around James on the baseline for a layup, Milwaukee led 88-76 with 6:03 left.
James led the way as Miami erased a 15-point deficit, outscoring the Bucks 27-13 in the third to take a 71-69 lead into the fourth.
James scored 14 points in that quarter while Milwaukee missed 17 of its first 19 shots.
Leading 56-44, Milwaukee missed its first 12 shots, six of them by Ellis, while the Heat first pulled to 56-55 with two baskets by Bosh, one by Wade, a three-point play by James and two free throws by Bosh. Jennings hit a 14-foot jumper to snap the streak, but James hit a 3 to tie the game and a jumper that gave Miami its first lead of the game, 60-58.
Jennings, Ellis and Mbah a Moute helped the Bucks take a 56-44 lead at halftime.
Jennings had 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting, six assists and three steals. Ellis added 11 points, five assists and two steals. While Jennings and Ellis sliced through the Heat defense, Mbah a Moute effectively worked the post and scored 12 points while effectively guarding James.
Wade had a first quarter he probably would care to forget about, but his second was much better.
Wade turned the ball over the first time he touched it, but then scored five points on 2-of-3 shooting and hit one of two free throws. He grabbed four rebounds, had two assists and another turnover before Ray Allen replaced him with 3:21 left in the first.
When he re-entered the game with 8:35 left in the second, Wade tried to spark the Heat’s offense with nine points, another assist and no more miscues. James was 5 of 11 in the half, good for 10 points, as he and Wade carried an attack that was sloppy with the ball. The Bucks converted 10 Heat turnovers into eight points, added 12 more on fast-break layups and never relinquished the lead.
NOTES: Miami F Udonis Haslem missed the game. He hurt his right shoulder early in the Detroit game when he landed hard after an acrobatic block on Kyle Singler. Haslem stayed in the game and finished with seven points and two rebounds in 20:29. Shane Battier started in his place. … Wade tied Haslem for the team record in games played at 620. … Milwaukee came in having alternated between wins and losses over the last seven games.
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