Bucks win 13th in a row with 128-99 victory over Miami but Giannis Antetokounmpo leaves with right knee injury

The Milwaukee Bucks came out of the all-star break the way they went into it – winning. The Bucks won their 13^th straight game with a 128-99 victory over the Miami Heat at Fiserv Forum Friday night. The streak is the longest in the NBA this season and tied for fifth-longest in franchise history.

Milwaukee improved to 42-17 overall and Miami dropped to 32-28 in dropping their third straight.

Giannis Antetokounmpo overcame a sprained right wrist to start the game for the Bucks, but he exited after just six minutes with a right knee injury.

"It's going to be fun going down this final stretch once we get fully healthy – I feel like we've been saying that all season long and this is what, Game 59 or something like that, still saying it," Bucks big man Bobby Portis said. "Hopefully one day we can get our whole team and go out there and play our style of basketball, man. It's going to be a fun, fun, fun next couple of months."

Bobby Portis sparks Bucks to big win

Antetokounmpo provided a lift early in the game by being able to play, butPortis’ return from a sprained medial collateral ligament (MCL) suffered on Jan. 23 was the offensive – and emotional – lift the Bucks needed when Antetokounmpo exited with a knee injury.

Portis, who missed the last 11 games heading into the all-star break, came out on fire for Milwaukee. He made his first five shots and finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench. It was his 30th double-double of the season – which tied him for No. 3 in the league despite all of his time missed.

"It felt great just to be out on the basketball court man, forget shots going in," Portis said. "To be out 30, 31 days, sit on the sideline and not really; I'm a part of the team mentally and physically but not part of the team just being out there and being able to just do what I love to do on a daily basis. So, just to be able to be back, give all the glory and thanks to God for letting me come back and be able to be out there with my teammates."

Khris Middleton (12 points in 17 minutes) joined Portis in double figures off the bench, while all-star Jrue Holiday paced the Bucks starters with 24 points and seven assists.

"I thought he was really excellent, to be honest,' Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Holiday. "The whole group had a good focus coming out of the break, both ends of the court, pushing themselves to be their best and Jrue sets the tone for us on both ends. Taking the (Jimmy) Butler matchup out of the gate and then setting us up offensively. That's what we need from him and we need from our group."

Brook Lopez had 17 points and Grayson Allen added 16.

BOX SCORE:Bucks 128, Heat 99

The Bucks showed no signs of rust from the time off as they didn’t have a turnover until 30 seconds remained in the first quarter and 7 for 13 from behind the three-point line in taking a 42-32 first quarter lead. They continued to pour it on from there and eventually led by as many as 25 points, as the Heat couldn’t keep pace with the Bucks’ hot shooting.

Milwaukee shot 55.1% in scoring 73 first half points and Miami had no real chance to catch up. When the starters were pulled with the Bucks up 121-89 with 4 minutes, 29 seconds left in the game they were 18 for 42 (42.9%) from behind the three-point line and shooting 49% overall.

The Heat meanwhile made just 38.1% of its shots and 7 of 34 (20.6%) from distance while the starters were in the game.

Butler scored 23 points in 21 minutes while Whitnall High School alumnus Tyler Herro had 14. All-star Bam Adebayo had 18 points.

Giannis Antetokounmpo starts, but exits early with injury

On Sunday evening, Antetokounmpo stood outside his team’s all-star locker room at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City and spoke about how important it was for him to represent himself and the fans in the annual exhibition – and that by doing so while injured made it his second-favorite all-star jersey to possess.

But through that, there was real concern about how injured his right wrist truly was. On Monday in New York, it was confirmed it was a sprain – painful – but not season-ending.

On Friday in Milwaukee, the MVP candidate went back to work, albeit briefly.

The day started with him being listed as doubtful to play, but by late afternoon he as upgraded to questionable. After his pregame warmup, he was in the starting lineup.

When asked before the game how surprised he was that Antetokounmpo may be cleared to play, Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said simply, "Very. I mean, the guy's unbelievable."

Unfortunately the 28-year-old Antetokounmpo had to exit the game late in the first quarter, calling for a timeout to get off the floor and he walked directly to the Bucks locker room when Budenholzer obliged. Antetokounmpo played six minutes to that point, scoring four points on 2 of 4 shooting.

Early in the second quarter the Bucks ruled him out for the rest of the game with a right knee issue, saying he knocked knees with an opponent.

Budenholzer wasn't clear on when the collision happened.

"We'll see how he feels (Saturday), and just evaluate him, take him day by day," Budenholzer said after the game.

Antetokounmpo also knocked knees with a Boston player on Feb. 14 and appeared to be in some pain, but remained in the game.

Antetokounmpo sprained his right wrist on Feb. 16 in Chicago, but participated briefly in the NBA All-Star Game on Sunday. He was reevaluated in New York Monday, and it was determined he avoided major injury. He practiced to some degree on Wednesday and Thursday.

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Jae Crowder makes his Bucks debut

The Bucks acquired the Marquette University alumnus on Feb. 9, but he had been held out of action before the all-star break in order to help get in basketball condition.

"So the juices are flowing right now, but I'm just excited for just the journey of it and it starts today for me and this group, try to gel and be the best team we can be heading into the postseason," Crowder said at shootaround Friday morning.

Crowder said learning three positions and getting the offensive terminology down is taking some effort, but he feels confident he'll be ready to fit in quickly defensively.

"I tried to play the first game, not gonna lie," he said with a laugh. "But they were like you don't even know any plays, relax little bit. They're trying to protect the player, protect me, and you tend to forget that a little bit, you tend to want to go in head first."

He checked in at the 4:30 mark of the first quarter and made his first basket, a three-pointer, at the 1:09 mark. Crowder had not appeared in a game since May 15 when his Phoenix Suns were eliminated by Dallas in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs, and he played 16 minutes.

Crowder finished with nine points and three rebounds and acknowledged he had a little rust to knock off.

"There's nothing that you can do; its different cutting different style of play when you go into real setting of a game," he said afterward. "The timing was a little off. I was a half a step slow. I felt it."

Q&A with Jae Crowder: He says joining the Milwaukee Bucks will give him opportunity to win at high level

More:Jae Crowder's saga in Phoenix is over. Here's what we know about his last six months with the Suns

Five numbers

10 for 21 AJ Green’s three-point performance in three games against the Heat this season. The undrafted rookie liked something about the way Miami defended (or didn’t), as his total against it accounted for 28% of his total threes to date this season.

12 Players who saw court time for the Bucks, including Crowder and newly-signed Meyers Leonard.

25-5 Bucks record at home, best in the Eastern Conference.

178 Total games lost by Bucks players due to injury, conditioning or illness with Pat Connaughton and Wesley Matthews missing Friday’s contest.

1/9/2021 The last game Leonard played in the NBA before Friday night. He scored five points and had six rebounds in 15 minutes.

Bucks' primary court needs repairs

The team returned to Fiserv Forum and played on their "city edition" court, which features blue baselines and a blue logo at half court, despite playing in their purple "classic edition" jerseys.

Bucks chief marketing officer Dustin Godsey tweeted an explanation, saying "For those curious about the use of the blue court: We need to make a few repairs to the Bucks’ primary court, so we’re switching to the Gathering Place court until further notice. We look forward to having our primary court back soon."

Play of the game is Bobby Portis' tip-slam

The Bucks were bolstered emotionally and on the court by the return of Portis from a knee injury, as he played in his first game since Jan. 23. Portis isn't known for throwing it down, but he got the Fiserv Forum crowd rocking with a tip-slam off of a Jevon Carter missed layup early in the second quarter. It was part of a perfect 5 for 5 first half for Portis, as he helped the team carry on without Antetokounmpo.

Video of the game is Giannis exiting with a knee injury

The Bucks said Giannis Antetokounmpo knocked knees with an opponent, which is why he exited the game with a right knee injury late in the first quarter.

Bucks injury report

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (right knee), out

• Pat Connaughton (left calf soreness), out

"I think we're hopeful that it can go away, that it's close to where he's able to play," Budenholzer said. "I honestly don't know if that's a situation where it could linger, might linger, but I'm just kind of actually assuming we hope and obviously the best is that it will go away."

• Wesley Matthews (right calf strain), out

"From visiting with him, I think it happened very late in the Chicago game," Budenholzer said. "I don't know that he even realized it or felt it. He's been playing so good for us, been a really positive impact. I think the fact that it was that game and he's had basically a week with kind of an all-star (break) where he took care of himself, but not the grind of minutes and games and stuff like that, we're hopeful that it's not that long."

Who do the Bucks play next?

Milwaukee will host Phoenix at noon on Sunday but Kevin Durant will not make his debut for the Suns. Durant, was traded to the Suns on Feb. 9, but he's been out with a knee injury. He is expected to play for the first time for Phoenix on March 1. Phoenix still has Chris Paul, Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton leading their team.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Giannis' early exit doesn't slow Bucks as they win 13th straight game