Following a lackluster performance in Orlando on Friday and an equally poor first half Sunday night in Miami, the Milwaukee Bucks appeared on their way to being swept out of Florida.
But the defense that has been carrying the Bucks for most of the first 10 games of the season arrived just in time for Milwaukee to flip the game around with an impressive third quarter.
The Bucks held a Dwyane Wade-less Miami team to 13 points in the third and 38 in the second half to overcome an eight-point halftime deficit in a 91-84 victory over the Heat at American Airlines Arena.
After not winning its fifth game until Dec. 10 last season, Milwaukee moved to 5-5 on the young season with the victory.
1 big moment: Brandon Knight had knocked down triples on two of Milwaukee's last three possessions, but a driving layup by Mario Chalmers pulled Miami to within 84-79 with 1:10 left.
With the shot clock expiring, Knight hit a step-back 3-pointer to put the Bucks up 87-79 with 47.3 seconds to play. Norris Cole answered with a tough shot of his own from beyond the arc, but Milwaukee was able to close out the game from the free throw line.
2 top performers: Knight scored 15 of his game-high 20 points in the second half, including hitting three 3-pointers in the final 3:12 of the game. Playing in his hometown, Knight added five points and four assists, shooting 7 of 13 from the field and 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.
With Wade out with a hamstring injury and Chris Bosh struggling, Mario Chalmers led Miami with 18 points and five assists on 7-of-13 shooting before fouling out with 19.4 seconds left.
3 key stats: The Bucks outscored the Heat by 13 points in the third quarter, turning an eight-point halftime deficit into a 64-59 lead heading to the fourth. Milwaukee held Miami to 13 points on 4-of-19 shooting and forced seven turnovers in the quarter that changed the game.
With Wade out for the second consecutive game, Miami needed Bosh to come through Sunday night. Instead, Bosh went 2 for 17 from the field and scored just 10 points. He also missed three crucial free throws in the fourth quarter when the Heat were trying to cut into Milwaukee's lead.
Including the playoffs, the Bucks had lost 10 consecutive games to the Heat prior to Sunday night's victory. Milwaukee last beat Miami on Jan. 22, 2012, which also was the Bucks' last win at American Airlines Arena.
Said: "I thought we came out flat. We didn't come out with the energy that I thought we could. After half, we started moving the ball. Defense is where we hang our hat, and we got some stops. Then we started off with five makes on the offensive end, and I think everyone was a little excited to see the ball go in for us. We kind of picked it up from there. It is a big win on the road." -- Bucks coach Jason Kidd
"I work relentlessly to have confidence (in late-game) situations. My teammates continue to trust me to make the right play. It has been working out for us so far. I plan on continuing to do that throughout the season." -- Knight
"We needed to get at least one game on the road trip to put ourselves in a good position for when we come home. I think it started off at the beginning of the third quarter when we forced them into a lot of turnovers and got out in transition to capitalize." -- Bucks rookie forward Jabari Parker, who finished with 13 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes.
Seen: Kidd started his seventh different starting lineup of the season Sunday, moving Giannis Antetokounmpo into the starting five. The move shifted Parker to power forward and left Ersan Ilyasova to come off the bench.
In his first start of the season, Antetokounmpo scored 11 points with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals in 32 minutes. The second-year forward has now scored in double digits in a career-best four consecutive games.
Next: After splitting their two-game trip to Florida, the Bucks return home Tuesday to face the New York Knicks. The Knicks snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 109-93 victory over Denver on Sunday.
Tuesday's game against the Knicks begins a stretch of four games in five nights for the Bucks. Kidd will make his return to Brooklyn when Milwaukee faces the Nets on Wednesday. The Bucks then head to Toronto to face the Eastern Conference-leading Raptors on Friday before hosting the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Follow Andrew Gruman on Twitter
