Gabe Vincent leads Heat to second straight win over shorthanded Bucks

MIAMI (AP) — Gabe Vincent scored 27 points, Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 13 rebounds and the Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 111-95 Saturday.

Victor Oladipo added 20 points and Jimmy Butler had 16 for the Heat.

Miami won its second straight against the Bucks after a 108-102 home victory on Thursday.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo missed the two games against Miami because of left knee soreness.

The Heat also was short-handed as guards Tyler Herro (Achilles soreness) Kyle Lowry (knee discomfort) sat out.

“What I do commend and what you want out of a team is growing from your experiences, particularly if you have some tough times, adversity,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The grit that we’re developing is that even when there are some uneven times during the course of a game, we understand that it’s a long game. You have to work the game. You try to wear on teams, particularly defensively.”

Vincent did the bulk of his scoring in the first half, when he had 21 points. Stepping in for Lowry, Vincent missed equaling his career high by one which he set in Thursday’s win over the Bucks.

“I think I was just in a rhythm and my guys did a really good job of getting me open,” said the former UC Santa Barbara star Vincent. “And I made some shots, which is helpful. I’m trying to stay aggressive. Just trying to impact any way I can.”

Oladipo did his damage in the second half with 14 points.

After the two-game sweep over the Bucks, the Heat has won six of eight.

“I feel like in this stretch, we’ve been enjoying basketball,” Adebayo said. “You see it on the court. We’re way more connected than we’ve been since the beginning of the season.”

Down eight at halftime, the Bucks cut it to 63-62 on Bobby Portis’ two free throws midway through the third quarter. The Heat responded with six straight points.

Adebayo’s two free throws with 7:13 in the fourth quarter capped a 13-0 run and pushed the Heat’s lead to 97-79.

All Bucks starters finished in double figures. Portis scored 15 points, Pat Connaughton had 14 points and Brook Lopez finished with 13, while Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen had 12 points each.

“With Giannis out, he does so much for us,” Holiday said. “It is a little bit more of us being aggressive and getting to the paint and trying to finish. They did a great job of boxing out.”

Milwaukee finished 2-2 on its road trip.

“They worked the hot hand, whether it was Vincent in the first half or Oladipo in the second half,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “But really I think our offense is one that we have to score better.”

Vincent’s 3-pointer midway through the second quarter put Miami ahead 42-27. The Bucks closed the period on a 13-5 spurt and trailed 53-45 at halftime.

Check out more on the Heat

As extension talks falter, trade rumors swirl around D’Angelo Russell;... LeBron, Durant remain on top of NBA All-Star fan voting PBT Podcast: NBA mid-season award picks, Durant injury

Gabe Vincent leads Heat to second straight win over shorthanded Bucks originally appeared on NBCSports.com