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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Milwaukee Bucks coach George Karl continually
implores his young and inconsistent team to pass the ball, with
mixed results.
The Miami Heat, experienced and tough, have already learned that
lesson.
The Heat gave the Bucks a firsthand look at the results Friday
night, racking up 32 assists in a 99-87 victory.
|  | | Miami's Alonzo Mourning goes strong to the rack and is fouled by the Bucks' Scott Williams. |
"That's the type of night we need more of," Karl said.
Thanks to the unselfish play, Miami (43-25) shot 55 percent from
the field in snapping a two-game losing streak and maintaining a
one-game lead over the New York Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
The Knicks defeated Atlanta 95-83 Friday.
Milwaukee, led by Ray Allen's 36 points, also shot the ball
well, but faltered in the fourth period.
"This was a good bounce-back win," said Miami coach Pat Riley.
"We kept answering and answering and answering and finally they
missed a few."
Rotating the ball selflessly against the Bucks' trapping
defense, Miami found one open jumper after another and connected on
41 of 74 field goal attempts. Tim Hardaway led the Heat with eight
assists, while backup point guard Anthony Carter had seven, Jamal
Mashburn six, Dan Majerle five and Alonzo Mourning four.
"We moved the ball around, hit the open man," Mourning said.
"When that happens our offense scores for us and we made some good
defensive plays down the stretch."
Mourning paced the Heat with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while
Mashburn added 22 points and Hardaway 17. Mourning scored six
straight Heat points during one fourth-quarter stretch and later
added a key block of a Glenn Robinson lay-up. Hardaway followed
that block with a 3-point shot to open up a 94-83 lead.
"Tonight, Mourning was very good," Karl said. "All their
veterans were very good."
Their effort led the Heat back from a tepid start. Miami was
just 9 of 22 in the opening period, but hit 22 of 34 shots over the
next two periods in building an 11-point lead. The Bucks, behind
hot shooting from Ray Allen and Glenn Robinson, rallied to take a
72-71 lead early in the fourth period before Mashburn's 3-pointer
returned the advantage to Miami for good.
The Bucks' playoff hopes continued to fade. They fell 1½ games
behind Orlando for the eighth and final spot in losing for the 13th
time in 19 games since the All-Star break. Orlando defeated Houston
on Friday.
Allen matched his season high in scoring for Milwaukee on
brilliant 15-of-20 shooting, while Robinson added 19 points and Sam
Cassell 13.
But the Bucks continued a trend of carelessness with 17
turnovers, including five in the fourth period. Tim Thomas, who was
shooting 56 percent during March and averaging 17.5 points in his
last 11 games, made only 2 of 12 shots and scored 4 points. Thomas
also was guilty of three of those fourth-period errors.
"You always hope the fourth quarter will be a summation of the
whole game, but we didn't to that," Allen said. "We didn't do
those things to win the game. We let them get rebounds, we turned
the ball over, we gave them open looks.
"It was a matter of playing every possession, and we didn't do
that."
Game notes
Miami's Tim Hardaway moved into 19th place on the NBA's
all-time assists list with his third assist. Hardaway passed Jerry
West (6,238 assists). The milestone pass set up a Clarence
Weatherspoon jumper. ... Milwaukee's Vinny Del Negro did not suit
up for the sixth consecutive game due to a stress reaction in his
right leg. ... The Bucks are now 6-11 in the first of back-to-back
games and 7-10 in the second.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Miami Clubhouse
Milwaukee Clubhouse
RECAPS
Philadelphia 117
Boston 115
Charlotte 102
Toronto 84
Minnesota 116
New Jersey 115
New York 95
Atlanta 83
Orlando 112
Houston 96
Miami 99
Milwaukee 87
Chicago 70
Denver 68
Utah 98
Seattle 95
Portland 96
Golden State 83
LA Lakers 109
Phoenix 101
Sacramento 113
Detroit 103
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