The Milwaukee Bucks put together a complete four-quarter effort at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday night, pulling away from the Miami Heat for a 128-117 victory in front of 15,459 fans. Kevin Porter Jr. matched his season high with 32 points, while Bobby Portis and Ryan Rollins each added 21 to give Milwaukee three 20-point scorers in the same game. It was the Bucks’ fourth win in five outings, a stretch that has provided some genuine momentum as the season heads toward its final stretch.
Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown
First Quarter: MIL 30, MIA 29
Milwaukee set the tone early, edging the Heat by a single point in a competitive opening frame. Neither team pulled away decisively, but the Bucks’ ability to establish an early lead on their home floor was an encouraging sign. The one-point advantage at the end of the first quarter was modest, but it signaled Milwaukee’s intent to control the pace.
Second Quarter: MIL 33, MIA 29
The Bucks built on their first-quarter edge in the second period, outscoring Miami 33-29 to take a five-point lead into halftime, 63-58. Milwaukee’s offense began to find its rhythm, shooting efficiently from the field and attacking Miami’s defense with ball movement that generated quality looks. The Bucks went into the break with the upper hand and a sense of control over the contest.
Third Quarter: MIA 35, MIL 26
Miami answered emphatically after the break, delivering the most dominant quarter of the game on either side. The Heat outscored Milwaukee 35-26 in the third to erase the deficit and carry a two-point edge into the final frame, 93-89. It was a reminder that Miami is capable of explosive offensive runs, and for a stretch, the game appeared to be slipping away from the Bucks.
Fourth Quarter: MIL 39, MIA 24
Milwaukee responded to the Heat’s third-quarter surge with the most decisive quarter of the night. The Bucks outscored Miami 39-24 in the fourth — a 15-point blowout in the final frame — to turn what had been a two-point deficit into an 11-point final margin. Porter Jr. was a driving force down the stretch, and the team’s collective poise in a pivotal quarter was the difference in the game.
Key Performers
Kevin Porter Jr. — MIL: 32 PTS, 7 REB, 7 AST
Porter Jr. was the engine of Milwaukee’s offense from start to finish. Matching his season high with 32 points, the guard also contributed 7 rebounds and 7 assists, making him the clear catalyst for the Bucks’ fourth-quarter push. His ability to score, create, and rebound made him the most complete player on the floor Tuesday night. His performance earned the top rating mark among all players in the game, underscoring how impactful he was on both ends.
Bobby Portis — MIL: 21 PTS
Portis provided exactly what Milwaukee needed as a secondary scorer, finishing with 21 points to support Porter Jr.’s big night. His physicality and scoring in the paint stretched Miami’s defense and helped open up looks for his teammates throughout the contest.
Ryan Rollins — MIL: 21 PTS
Rollins matched Portis’ output with 21 points of his own, giving the Bucks a third reliable option that the Heat struggled to contain. Three Milwaukee players finishing with 21 or more points is a sign of balanced offensive production, and Rollins’ contribution was a key reason Milwaukee could absorb Miami’s third-quarter burst and still pull away.
Jericho Sims — MIL: 10 REB
Center Jericho Sims led all rebounders on the night with 10 boards. Milwaukee finished the game with 46 total rebounds, a strong showing on the glass that helped limit Miami’s second-chance opportunities.
Miami Heat Leading Scorer: 26 PTS
Miami’s top scorer finished with 26 points in a losing effort. While the Heat showed flashes of their ability to put up points — particularly in that 35-point third quarter — they couldn’t sustain the output over a full 48 minutes and were outplayed when it mattered most in the fourth.
Game Analysis
The story of this game is ultimately one of fourth-quarter execution. Milwaukee trailed after three quarters, which could have rattled a team searching for consistency. Instead, the Bucks flipped the script with a 39-point final frame — their highest-scoring quarter of the night by a wide margin. That kind of late-game poise is often the separating factor between teams that win close games and teams that don’t.
From a shooting standpoint, the Bucks were sharp. Milwaukee connected on 48 of 97 field goal attempts (49.5%) and hit 16 of 39 three-point tries (41.0%), well above the league average from beyond the arc. The 25 assists on the night indicate the ball was moving effectively, and the team’s 84.2% free throw rate ensured they didn’t leave points on the board at the line.
For Miami, the third-quarter surge offered a glimpse of what they’re capable of, but the inability to carry that energy into the fourth quarter was costly. Being outscored by 15 in the final frame against a team they had just overtaken is a tough way to lose a road game. The Heat shot themselves out of contention by going cold at the worst possible time.
The balance of Milwaukee’s scoring attack — with Porter Jr., Portis, and Rollins all eclipsing 20 points — also made the Bucks difficult to game-plan against. When three players are operating at that level, opponents have no clean defensive answer.
What This Means Going Forward
With the win, Milwaukee improves to 25-31 on the season (13-13 at home, 12-18 on the road). Four wins in five games is a meaningful run at this stage of the schedule, and the Bucks will be looking to build on this momentum. Porter Jr.’s continued development as a lead scoring option is an encouraging sign for a franchise working to find its footing without its full roster complement. For the Miami Heat, the loss is a setback in what has been an uneven season, and the inability to close out a game they led heading into the fourth will be a focus point in film sessions ahead. Both teams will have opportunities to regroup in the coming days, but Tuesday night belonged to Milwaukee.
