Redd's hot start lifts Bucks over Heat 98-83

MIAMI(AP) The Milwaukee Bucks wanted a quick start to their three-game road trip, and Michael Redd delivered.Redd
scored 16 of his 21 points in the first quarter, and the Bucks started
fast before holding off a late rally to beat the Miami Heat 98-83 on
Monday night."I was having some fun,'' Redd said. "I took the
challenge of Dwyane Wade and tried to contain him. We were just
determined to try to set the tone.''Redd had four 3-pointers in the opening quarter to score the most points allowed in a period this season by a Heat opponent.Andrew
Bogut had 20 points and 11 rebounds, and Charlie Villanueva added 20
points for Milwaukee, which won on the road for the first time since
beating Charlotte on Nov. 22."We had such a big lead that they
exerted a lot of energy trying to get back in the game,'' Bogut said.
"Thankfully, we held out.''Mario Chalmers had 20 points, eight
assists and seven rebounds, and Wade added 15 points for the Heat, who
lost their third straight game.With Wade struggling early for
the third consecutive game, the Heat scrambled to find points. Wade,
who began the game leading the NBA in scoring, finished 5-for-16 from
the floor."We can't put it all on Dwyane,'' Heat forward Udonis Haslem said. "Someone's got to pick their game up somewhere.''After losing at Memphis a day earlier, the Heat looked lethargic from the start against Milwaukee.Redd's
fourth 3-pointer of the first quarter put the Bucks ahead 27-15. As the
Heat struggled to generate any offense in the halfcourt, Milwaukee made
five 3-pointers in the opening period and forced the Heat to score out
of their inept halfcourt offense."The first half of the first
quarter was pretty ugly for us,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
"Offensively, we just couldn't get the ball to go in. And then
defensively, we had breakdowns and they got us on the offensive glass
and jumped out to a big lead.''And the Bucks didn't relent.Villanueva
capped a 13-2 start to the second quarter, converting a three-point
play to stretch Milwaukee's lead to 40-21. The Heat trimmed the deficit
to 68-50 on a jumper by Wade midway through the third quarter, but
spotty defense and bad shot selection by Miami - including an airball
on a long 3-point attempt by Wade - allowed the Bucks to build back
their lead."When you go on the road, you've got to be able to
guard people,'' Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "You've got to be able
to guard people to try to win. Tonight we did. Maybe we can build off
of this.''Chalmers stole the ball from Charlie Bell and turned
it into an uncontested dunk, clenching his fist and screaming in
celebration to end the third quarter with Miami trailing 77-65.Miami
got as close as nine points after Daequan Cook made a 3-pointer with
3:03 remaining. But Milwaukee would answer, with Villanueva scoring
four straight points and the Heat going cold.Miami will have three days to regroup before trying to end its slide at home against the Los Angeles Lakers."We
have to stay together,'' Spoelstra said. "There's a lot of teams in the
Eastern Conference that are going through a tough stretch right now or
have been through a tough stretch. Now we're one of those teams. And
it's not how you got into there, it's how you respond.''Notes:
Wade was called for a technical foul after he yelled at the referee
from the bench with 1:21 left in the second quarter. ... Miami forward
Udonis Haslem, who missed the team's game at Memphis on Sunday to
attend his grandmother's funeral, was back in the starting lineup. ...
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before the game that he thought center
Jamaal Magloire's actions Sunday didn't merit an ejection. "It looked
pretty innocuous to me,'' Spoelstra said. Magloire was ejected for
head-butting Memphis' Darko Milicic as they fought for position on an
inbound.