What happened: The Miami Heat once again broke open the game in the second half to win 104-91 Thursday at Milwaukee to take a 3-0 lead in an Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Heat used a decisive 15-1 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to put the game away. They shot 51.9 percent from the field.
Guard Ray Allen led the Heat with 23 points and forward LeBron James added 22. The Heat, who broke open the game in the second half in a 98-86 win in Game 2, overcame a very tough night by guard Dwyane Wade, who shot 1-of-12 and scored just four points.
The turning point: There were two. After trailing 27-17 in the first quarter and playing sluggishly, the Heat got their game together. They fought back to close within 30-25 early in the second quarter and were down just 50-48 at halftime.
The Heat had another big run in the second half. After leading 70-68, they went on the 15-1 run at the end of the third quarter to the start of the fourth to take an insurmountable 85-69 lead.
The difference maker: Allen shot 5-of-8 from beyond the arc to reach 322 career playoff 3-pointers. That broke the NBA record of 320 set by Reggie Miller of the Indiana Pacers, who retired after the 2005 playoffs.
Overall, Allen has been the better postseason shooter. He needed 131 career playoff games to set the record while Miller appeared in 144. Allen is a career 40.3 percent 3-point shooter while Miller shot 39.0 percent.
What it means: The series is over. No team in NBA history ever has come back from a 3-0 deficit to win a playoff series.
What's next: Game 4 of the series is at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Bradley Center.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com
or on Twitter @christomasson.
