MILWAUKEE _ Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks under typical circumstances would have been difficult enough for the Miami Heat.
Antetokounmpo and the Bucks during Milwaukee's home opener on a night the Heat were lacking Jimmy Butler, Dion Waiters and James Johnson turned Saturday's equation onto something even more complex.
No matter, not with a feisty, all-for-one approach that has defined the Heat's start to 2019-20, not even with shaky late foul shooting, with the Heat emerging from Fiserv Forum with a 131-126 overtime victory.
Equally as shorthanded as during Wednesday's 120-101 season-opening victory over the Memphis Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines, the Heat found themselves in a much tighter test in their road opener, challenged by Antetokounmpo's 29 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists and an early bombardment of Bucks 3-pointers, with Milwaukee going up 21 early in the third period.
The victory made it the Heat's largest comeback win since overcoming a 21-point deficit against the Houston on Nov. 1, 2015 and largest road comeback since overcoming a 27-point deficit against the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 20, 2013.
The Heat got 25 points from Goran Dragic, 18 from emerging guard Kendrick Nunn, 14 from Kelly Olynyk, 14 from first-round pick Tyler Herro, and stat-stuffing efforts from Bam Adebayo (19 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists) and Justise Winslow (10 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists).
The Heat climbed all the way back from that 21-point deficit to a 117-108 fourth-quarter lead, with regulation ultimately coming down to a final Bucks possession down 121-119 with 2.4 seconds left off a pair of missed Winslow free throws. That's when, off a Khris Middleton miss, Antetokounmpo scored a pu-tback basket to tie it 121-121 at the end of the fourth quarter.
The Heat regrouped from there, as Antetokounmpo fouled out midway through overtime.
Going in, even shorthanded, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said no excuses.
His team played that way, even after the unsettling end to regulation.
"Look," Spoelstra said, "you've got to play good competition in this league and you might as well get to it right now and see how your team shapes up."
