[narek]

A new year, better results? No Shaq, which will help. (Hmm, maybe they'd take Gadz off our hands.....)

Teams: Milwaukee Bucks (11-19) vs. Miami Heat (8-23).

When: 6:30 tonight.

Where: American Airlines Arena, Miami.

Broadcasts: TV - FSN Wisconsin cable. Radio - AM-620.

About the Heat: This game will be the final opportunity for the Heat to get a home victory for a while. After playing the Bucks, Miami will head out on the road for games at Dallas, Memphis, Minnesota, Milwaukee and New Orleans. After that trip, though, the Heat will play seven straight home games. Miami is 4-10 at home, including 1-8 against Eastern Conference teams.


PLAYER TO WATCH
DWYANE WADE, Heat

He's been attempting to strike a delicate balance between trying to hoist the team on his shoulders or deferring to his teammates. He has tried both approaches in the last two games - he had 48 points against Orlando and 12 against Washington - but the losses continue to mount. "To me, it's kind of like playing a game within a game," he said. In December, Wade averaged 27.1 points on 49.5% shooting, 7.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds.

LINEUPS
PROBABLE HEAT STARTERS

Player Ht. From
G-Chris Quinn 6-2 Notre Dame
G-Dwyane Wade 6-4 Marquette
F-Udonis Haslem 6-8 Florida
F-Ricky Davis 6-7 Iowa
C-Mark Blount 7-0 Pittsburgh

Coach: Pat Riley (11th season, 447-351; 24th overall, 1,203-650).

Injury report: Alonzo Mourning (right leg) and Dorell Wright (right ankle) are out. Shaquille O'Neal (left hip) and Jason Williams (left knee) are doubtful.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=702605

[roux2dope]

I guess ill watch this one...

[Flash is the Future]

Let's go Bucks! (And Dwyane Wade, just to make it entertaining)

[narek]

We can beat bad teams! And Wade really isn't healthy yet, is he? Why is he playing?

Miami - Mo Williams reminded the Miami Heat why they wanted him during the offseason, scoring 25 points with nine assists and leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a 103-98 victory Wednesday night.
Charlie Villanueva scored 15 points, Andrew Bogut finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds and Charlie Bell scored 12 for the Bucks, who snapped a four-game skid and improved to 3-15 on the road.

Dwyane Wade led Miami with 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting, plus eight assists. Ricky Davis scored 23 points and Chris Quinn added 12 for the Heat, who have lost five straight.

Milwaukee scored the last three points of the third quarter to take a 71-67 lead, then put it away by opening the fourth on a 9-0 run capped by Villanueva's 3-pointer with 8:55 left. Wade hit a 3-pointer - his third of the season - with about 28 seconds left to get Miami within five, but the Bucks held on from there.

Williams and Bell - both coveted by the Heat last summer - combined for 21 points in the final quarter to keep Miami at bay. Williams turned down a $31 million Heat offer and re-signed in Milwaukee for $20 million more, and Bell signed a Miami offer sheet but stayed put when the Bucks matched.

Miami could have used them.

Bobby Simmons scored 11 points for Milwaukee. Mark Blount and Daequan Cook each had 11 for Miami, and Udonis Haslem scored 10.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=702871

[Flash is the Future]

It's not that he's still healing. Or that the shoulder/knee need more time to heal with game action. It's that he needs game-time in order to regain his athleticism.

[narek]

PLAYER OF GAME:Mo Williams looked good all the way down to his blue suit and white shoes. "We got a win," he said. "And a road win at that. It always feels good to win."

PLAY OF THE GAME: In the third quarter, Miami's Dwyane Wade shot a baseline jumper that hit the top corner of the backboard and somehow fell in to cut Milwaukee's lead to 58-57 with 7 minutes 11 seconds left. After scoring five points in the first half, Wade heated up in the third and scored 12 points. "He's really sore (with hand and shoulder injuries)," said Heat coach Pat Riley. "He really is. He's doing everything he can do. The first half, he pretty much played the playmaker and then he was saving it to the end. It we weren't down so far, he probably would have had enough to pull us out."

OFF THE BENCH: With Michael Redd out with a thigh bruise, Bucks guard Royal Ivey played the entire fourth quarter. Redd received a knee to the thigh late in the third quarter and he said he knew right away that he would not be able to finish the game. The severity of the injury was not known, but Redd said his leg was very sore.

STATISTICS SHEET: The Bucks had a 41-28 rebounding advantage and 42-30 edge in points in the paint.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=702940

[apelman42]

Nice win, but I still want Krystokwiak outta there.