2-3 Miami 117 Milwaukee 98

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Miami 117 Milwaukee 98

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With their All-Stars healthy again and playing well, the Miami Heat could be poised to make a run in the Eastern Conference.

The defending NBA champions look to continue their recent strong play and beat the Milwaukee Bucks for the second time in five days when the teams meet at the Bradley Center on Saturday.

Miami (21-25) is four games below .500, but is also just one-half game behind the New Jersey Nets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East.

The Heat have won their last two games - a 110-80 victory over the Bucks on Tuesday followed by a 92-89 win against Cleveland on Thursday - following a stretch of five losses in six games.

NBA

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MILWAUKEE, Feb. 3 (AP) -- Dwyane Wade heard raucous chants of "MVP,'' had a mountain of memorabilia to sign and saw his picture hanging high above the court.

Little wonder he's so comfortable in Milwaukee.

Wade capped his special weekend with another brilliant performance in the Bradley Center with 32 points and 11 assists, and Jason Kapono added a career-high 28 points to lead the Miami Heat over the Milwaukee Bucks 117-98 on Saturday night.

NBA

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The memory was still fresh.

It was only four days earlier in south Florida that the Miami Heat handed the Milwaukee Bucks a 30-point defeat, the Bucks' worst loss of the season.

Saturday night, the Heat paid a visit to the Bradley Center, and it was a golden opportunity for the Bucks to gain some payback for their embarrassing evening in Florida.

The Bucks, though, failed to seize the moment and fell to the Heat, 117-98.

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ON THE COURT
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Miami forward Jason Kapono lit up the Bucks with 28 points and 6-of-7 accuracy from three-point distance. Bucks guard Mo Williams gets runner-up honors with a career-best 38 points in defeat (16-for-31 shooting).

PLAY OF THE GAME: Kapono hesitated for a moment with 7-footer Andrew Bogut waving his arm menacingly, but nothing was stopping the Heat shooter, who let go and drained his fifth consecutive three-pointer in the second half. The shot gave Miami a 106-91 lead with 7:07 remaining.

STATISTICS SHEET: Miami took control with a 41-point outburst in the third quarter, helped by 4 three-point bombs from Kapono. The Heat trailed by four at halftime but led, 90-78, entering the fourth quarter.

OFF THE BENCH: Bucks reserve center Dan Gadzuric suffered a left shoulder injury late in the third quarter and was not able to return to the game. Forward Charlie Villanueva led the Bucks' reserves with 16 points and nine rebounds in 23 minutes, and Earl Boykins added 10 points.

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Milwaukee -- Turns out the trap was only half set.

The Heat, playing at struggling Milwaukee two days after a satisfying victory against Cleveland, was driven to distraction by officials and outhustled by the Bucks early. The Heat's attitude and effort improved in the second half of a 117-98 victory at the Bradley Center that ended its five-game losing streak on the road.

Sun Sentinel

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Photo Gallery from Sun Sentinel

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Observations from Saturday's 117-98 victory over the Bucks at the Bradley Center:

-- Yes, a three-game winning streak is nice. But this team is (or at least should be) capable of far more.

-- Backing it up in the next two, Monday at home against Charlotte and Wednesday in Boston, is imperative. These are the types of games the Heat cannot afford to allow to slip away.

-- While Jason Kapono might not be the complete small forward, he does one thing very, very well. And as Saturday showed, that 3-point accuracy can quickly turn the darkest of moments into something far more palatable.

Sun Sentinel