Giannis Antetokounmpo records triple-double as Bucks top Heat, 121-115, in overtime, clinch playoff berth (2025)

MIAMI – The Milwaukee Bucks won their third game in a row, squeaking past the Miami Heat, 121-115, in overtime at the Kaseya Center on Saturday night in Miami.

The Bucks turned the game in the extra session after the Heat stole Taurean Prince’s inbound pass out of a timeout with 1 minute, 54 seconds left in overtime – but Prince stole it right back, flipped it to Kevin Porter Jr., who kicked it to Giannis Antetokounmpo for a dunk and 117-115 lead.

"Yeah man, 'TP,' I know he didn't want that turnover so I knew he was going to make the extra effort," Porter said. "I have a sense of the ball, we all do, so we just wanted to be in the spot if he got that deflection or got that tip. He got it back for us and then Giannis comes down, ah! So, it was extra effort. Who wants it more. That's that play."

More: Box score | Bucks schedule | Playoff picture

Milwaukee center Brook Lopez came up with a huge defensive rebound between two Heat players with 34 seconds left, which led to a play call that called for Porter to create. Porter split a double team, worked his dribble before laying in a contested finger roll to effectively clinch the game at 119-115 with 10 seconds left.

"Fortunate enough I've been in those moments where one shot can win the game, or one play, so I just trusted my work, trusted myself and I felt good and confident when I got the trust in my teammates to make that last play," Porter said. "Those are the moments we live for. I love being in those moments and I'll take that shot every chance I get."

Antetokounmpo recorded his second triple-double in a row and ninth of the season with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists.

It was also his seventh straight game of at least 30 points and third straight game with at least 10 assists. Antetokounmpo played 43 minutes, his second-most of the season.

"Moving forward, this is what I do," Antetokounmpo said. "Like, in order for me to be good I need my teammates to be good. I'm going to keep on trying to make the right plays.

"Sometimes it's going to be for me to go all the way and I think my teammates understand that. And sometimes it's going to be me passing it, and they going to be wide open because so many possessions that guys are wide open and I try to get them the ball to hit wide open shots.

"Every wide open shot that we shoot, every three that we shoot, I think my teammates know I know and I keep on telling the team that every wide open shot that we shoot -- three, especially --- it's a good shot. We gotta shoot as many as we can of those because we are one of the best three-point shooting teams.

"And as a leader, I gotta keep on creating those shots for them. And at the same time, I gotta keep on getting down hill. Just gotta have mix of both."

Porter had 24 points and 12 rebounds off the bench while Lopez finished with 17 points. The veteran center scored six in the final 2:34 of regulation – including the game-tying bucket with 38 seconds left – to help the Bucks rally from a 7-point deficit.

And he did all of that after being called for a questionable illegal screen with 5:21 to go that allowed the Heat to push a one-point lead to seven.

Bucks clinch playoff spot

The Bucks clinched a playoff berth for the ninth consecutive season while enjoying a sunny, 80-degree afternoon because the Atlanta Hawks lost to the New York Knicks during a matinee in Atlanta.

If the Hawks had won, the Bucks could have clinched their spot by beating the Heat. The franchise record for consecutive playoff berths is 12, from 1979-91.

“We have a lot (to do),” Rivers said of the final five games and seven days of the season. “Honestly, for this late in the year, we still have a lot to work on. Because of the injury stuff, ‘Scoot’s’ (Kevin Porter Jr.) never played a single game (after the all-star break) with Bobby when you think of it in that way, whether Dame’s coming back or not, the non-Giannis minutes, changing Giannis to a ball-handling duty where now he has to read plays.

"So we actually have a lot to work on in a very short time. We’re going to take advantage of it.”

Bucks, Pistons in dogfight for No. 5 in Eastern Conference

Milwaukee and Detroit have been jockeying for the fifth seed over the last week, and the Pistons (43-35) opened Saturday in the No. 5 seed, and the Bucks ended the night in that spot.

Whoever finishes in that position will play the fourth-seeded Indiana Pacers in the opening round of the playoffs, and the No. 6 team will play the No. 3 New York Knicks.

The Bucks and Pistons finish the season with a pair of games on April 11 (Detroit) and April 13 (Milwaukee).

"We have to win games, man," Antetokounmpo said. "We have to win games. I think we clinched today the playoffs, so I'm happy with that. I thought we might be out of the playoffs after we lost like four in a row, but now we've won three in a row.

"We're in a good place, we just gotta stay humble and keep on going. Don't get too high, don't get too low in this league. We're not as good as people say and we're not as bad as people say. You just gotta keep on playing and try to compete at the best of your ability."

Detroit clinched its first playoff berth since the 2018-19 season on Friday night. They lost to the Bucks in the first round that year.

5 numbers

3: Times in the Bucks-Heat rivalry that the Bucks have swept a four-game season series (2014-15 and 1990-91). Milwaukee has won eight of its last nine against Miami.
18-20: Bucks road record, with two more to go in the regular season. They have not been .500 away from Fiserv Forum this season since starting the year 1-1 on Oct. 27. They were 18-22 on the road last season. From 2018-23 they were one of the best teams on the road in the NBA, compiling a 123-74 (62.4%) record away from Milwaukee. Indiana (18-20) is the only other playoff team in the East with a losing record on the road while the Los Angeles Lakers (17-20) are the only playoff in the West with an under .500 mark away from home.
70:More shots New York, Atlanta, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Miami have taken than the Bucks in their last five games. Milwaukee turned it over too much and allowed too many offensive rebounds, leading to the shot deficit – yet they’ve managed a 3-2 record in those games.
71.4: Giannis Antetokounmpo’s free-throw percentage against Miami (10 of 14) He had been a relative heater from the charity stripe in the four games coming into the game, making 79.2% (38-for-48).
33.8-11.0-10.6: Average points (169), rebounds (55) and assists (53) for Giannis Antetokounmpo over his last five games.

Did you notice?

Giannis Antetokounmpo was wearing a sleeve on his left shoulder. He was flexing his arm at shootaround earlier in the morning but has been managing some discomfort in it since at least the end of March.

Tyler Herro sits out vs. Bucks

Greenfield native and Whitnall High School alumnus Tyler Herro is having a career season for the Heat, as the 25-year-old shooting guard not only made his first all-star team but came into Saturday night’s game averaging a career-best 23.9 points and 5.6 assists.

He dropped a season-high 40 on Milwaukee in their last meeting on Feb. 23, but the Bucks held him to a total of 39 points on 11 of 33 (33%) shooting in the first two games between the teams this season.

But, he was held out of the game Saturday night with a contusion on his right thigh.

Herro became the latest star the Bucks have missed over the last few weeks. Herro was on fire, too, as he averaged 28.9 points while shooting a scorching 48.8% from behind the three-point line since March 23 as the Heat had won six of seven.

Jericho Sims goes through workout at shootaround

Bucks center Jericho Sims is recovering from surgery on his right thumb on March 17, but he went through an extended left-handed workout after the team shot around Saturday morning.

The team, and Sims, have believed he would be cleared in time for the start of the playoffs on April 19-20.

Before the game head coach Doc Rivers said Sims is progressing toward that return.

Sims originally tore the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right thumb against Indiana on March 15 and played through the injury on March 16 before deciding to have surgery.

He was acquired by the Bucks at the trade deadline in the four-team deal that also brought Kyle Kuzma to Milwaukee and sent Khris Middleton to Washington. Sims played in 14 games for the Bucks, averaging 4.9 rebounds and 2.4 points in 15 minutes per game.

Is Giannis playing?

Yes, per Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. Giannis Antetokounmpo began the day as probable to play vs. the Heat, and participated in the team's shootaround. The Bucks star is managing a left foot sprain suffered in late March in Phoenix, but he has played the last four games and is averaging 33.3 points, 10.8 assists and 10.0 rebounds in that time.

What time is the Bucks game?

The Bucks and Heat will tip off at 7 p.m. CT.

What channel is the Bucks game on?

The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin with Lisa Byington, Marques Johnson, and Melanie Ricks on the call.

Bucks injury report

Bobby Portis Jr., out (league suspension)
Jericho Sims, out (right thumb surgery)
Damian Lillard, out (right calf deep vein thrombosis)
Rivers: "(The timeline) definitely has changed, medically. Which is good. The location of it is very important as well. And it is, it's lower. But, it still could be six months. We just don't know."
Giannis Antetokounmpo, available (left foot sprain)
AJ Green, available (right AC joint sprain)

Bucks probable starters

Guards: Ryan Rollins, Taurean Prince
Forwards: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyle Kuzma
Center: Brook Lopez

Bucks vs. Heat odds, over/under

Miami is a 1.5-point favorite over Milwaukee, and the over/under is set at 213.5, per BetMGM.

Eastern Conference playoff bracket

Heading into Saturday night's games, here is how the Eastern Conference playoff bracket is shaping up:

No. 1 Cleveland vs. No. 8 Play-in winnerNo. 4 Indiana vs. No. 5 DetroitNo. 2 Boston vs. No. 7 Play-in winnerNo. 3 New York vs. No. 6 Milwaukee

Eastern Conference standings

Heading into Saturday night's games, here is the rundown of the Eastern Conference standings:

Cleveland (62-15)
Boston (57-20)
New York (48-28)
Indiana (46-31)
Detroit (43-34)
Milwaukee (42-34)
Orlando (38-40)
Atlanta (36-40)
Chicago (35-42)
Miami (35-42)

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks clinch playoffs, Giannis has triple-double in OT win over Heat