MIAMI _ All the Miami Heat want for Christmas is .500.
They at least now will have the opportunity to complete the climb back from six games below.
Extending their winning streak to four, the Heat pushed past the Eastern Conference-leading Milwaukee Bucks, 94-87, Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena to move to 15-16 going into Sunday's road game at the Orlando Magic, their final game before a two-day holiday break.
Up by 17 early, down at halftime, and then up by 15 midway through the fourth quarter, the Heat found themselves pushed to the brink when the Bucks closed within 79-75 with 4:55 to play on a four-point play by guard Khris Middleton, who was fouled by Josh Richardson on a 3-point attempt.
The Bucks then intentionally fouled Heat center Hassan Whiteside, who air-balled his second free throw after converting the first, to fall to 1 of 4 from the line and leave the Heat up 80-75.
Later, with Whiteside falling to 5 of 16 from the field, a Tony Snell 3-pointer drew the Bucks within 82-81 with 2:42 to play.
From there, a lane jumper by Dwyane Wade with 1:57 to play put the Heat up 86-81, only to have it matched by a Middleton floater with a minute to go. But back came Wade with another jumper for an 88-83 Heat lead with 46.1 seconds to play, with the Heat holding on from there.
"We can't go into games thinking we are going to be able to outscore people," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said on a night his team won despite shooting .382 from the field.
On a night Whiteside closed with 11 points and 13 rebounds, the key for the Heat was limiting Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo to nine points on 3 of 12 shooting.
