The Miami Heat defeated the Milwaukee Bucks, 108-102, at FTX Arena on Thursday.

The Heat (23-20) endured a slow start, but in the end, they managed to defeat the Bucks (27-15) after delivering an improved performance in the second half of the contest. Milwaukee jumped out to a 23-14 lead following the first quarter and seemed to be in complete control of the game, but the Heat showed signs of life and responded with a 31-22 score in the second quarter that suggested the second half would be an intense affair. The Heat were far better than their rivals, though, and they grabbed the lead following a 33-28 score in the opening 12 minutes of the second half. Milwaukee tried to put up a fight, but the Heat never gave up, and Miami ended up securing the win after closing the final quarter with a 30-29 score. With the win, Miami moved to 13-9 at home while the Bucks fell to 11-10 on the road.

Gabe Vincent led the way for the Heat with a 28-point performance, and he also added six assists and three boards. Bam Adebayo notched 24 points, 12 rebounds and two steals, and Jimmy Butler delivered 17 points, 11 rebounds and two assists. Max Strus had 12 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, and Victor Oladipo notched 14 points with eight rebounds and eight assists coming off the bench.

Jrue Holiday led the way for the Bucks with 24 points, 11 assists and six rebounds, while Bobby Portis ended with 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals. No other starter scored in double digits for the Bucks, but the bench stepped it up. Jordan Nwora had 16 points and five rebounds, Jevon Carter posted 18 points, and AJ Green finished with 15 points in 19 minutes.