MILWAUKEE _ Two NBA teams have had 12-game winning streaks this season. One features Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson. The other on Wednesday night started Luke Babbitt, Rodney McGruder and Wayne Ellington.
No, not much makes sense about this 12-game winning streak the Miami Heat have built from the midseason depths of 11-30, but a 12-game winning streak it is after Wednesday's night's 106-88 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at BMO Harris Bradley Center.
The Heat not only matched the Golden State Warriors' 12-game November run for the NBA's longest winning streak of the season, but set an NBA record the longest winning streak while still holding a losing record, with the Heat now 23-30. It also matches the third-longest winning streak in the Heat's 29 seasons.
Unlike the much of Heat's recent over-the-top success, this victory was not built on 3-point shooting but rather the inside dominance of center Hassan Whiteside, who closed with 23 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.
With Dion Waiters sidelined by an ankle sprain, the Heat turned to Ellington in a starting lineup that was rounded out by Babbitt, McGruder, Whiteside and Goran Dragic, who added 16 points and seven assists.
James Johnson added 20 points off the bench for the Heat, with Gianni Antetokounmpo scoring 22 for the Bucks.
The Heat pushed to a 17-2 lead at the outset and then again went up 15 early in the third period off a soaring dunk by McGruder that was followed by a McGruder 3-pointer. The Heat later pushed to another 15-point lead in the third when Ellington banked in a 3-pointer shortly before the expiration of the shot-clock buzzer.
The Heat then took an 81-63 lead into the fourth quarter that they quickly expanded to a 20-point edge.
From there, the Heat had to hold off a Bucks pushback led by former Heat forward Michael Beasley.
The Bucks cautiously worked forward Khris Middleton back into their mix as he made his season debut following a preseason hamstring injury but in the third quarter lost forward Jabari Parker for the balance of the game when his surgical left knee buckled. The initial diagnosis was a sprain, but it could be a case of Parker exiting just as Middleton arrives.
With Whiteside already with a first-half double-double, with 17 points and 11 rebounds, the Heat held a 55-44 lead at the intermission.
It hardly was a clean first half for the Heat, with nine turnovers and 4-of-16 3-point shooting, but there was 28-15 dominance on the boards over the first two periods against the lengthier Bucks.
The Heat took a 28-15 lead into the second period after center Willie Reed beat the first-quarter buzzer by converting his first career 3-pointer on his third career attempt.
The Heat jumped to a 15-2 lead at the outset. Whiteside closed the first quarter with six points and five rebounds, with Dragic continuing his hot play with nine points in the period.
