Bucks at Heat
In the midst of their longest losing streak of the season, the Miami Heat have brought back the one man most synonymous with the success of the franchise. After trading for veteran Dwyane Wade prior to Thursday's trade deadline, the Heat will try to snap their ill-timed five-game slide when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
Wade, a three-time champion and 12-time All-Star in 13 seasons with the Heat before signing as a free agent with the Chicago Bulls prior to last season, was shipped from Cleveland for a second-round pick in Miami's one notable deadline deal and will join a team that has been piling up close losses. "We're not looking for moral victories at all," coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters after Wednesday's 109-101 loss to the Houston Rockets at home. "We feel that we're a very good basketball team and we're not as far off as people think right now. We've been in 10 straight of these (close) games, but we haven't been able to get over the hump in many of them." The Bucks, who were quiet at the deadline, haven't had to worry about many close games lately, as all but two of their games during a 7-1 surge - which coincides with the firing of Jason Kidd - have been decided by double digits, including the 103-89 win at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. "I thought it was a very good effort," coach Joe Prunty told the media. "We defended the three again well, rotation good in terms of getting to the spots and running people off the line. I really like the things I saw and we just have to keep doing them every night."
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Wisconsin (Milwaukee), FS Sun (Miami)
ABOUT THE BUCKS (30-23): There was relief when an ankle injury to superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo did not keep him out of the lineup at New York and the team knew he was just fine after a highlight-reel play in which he leaped a Knicks player to throw down a lob on the break. That was part of a 23-point effort for the All-Star, who was matched by Eric Bledsoe and supported by Khris Middleton (20 points). Forward John Henson, who had 19 points and 18 rebounds in a win at Brooklyn on Sunday, missed the contest due to a hamstring injury and is day-to-day.
ABOUT THE HEAT (29-26): Three players - Goran Dragic, Josh Richardson and Hassan Whiteside - combined for 76 points in the loss to the Rockets but the supporting cast struggled without Kelly Olynyk (shoulder) and Wayne Ellington (shoulder). Shooting guard Tyler Johnson, who averaged 15.9 points while shooting 50.3 percent in December, is putting up 7.7 on 32.2 percent in seven games since returning from an ankle injury after he went 1-for-7 from the floor in 34 minutes. Wade will provide depth at that position and averaged 11.2 points in 23.2 minutes in 46 games with the Cavaliers.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Whiteside recorded double-doubles in a pair of wins over Milwaukee last month and has 11 in his last 16 games overall.
2. Bucks G Matthew Dellavedova (ankle) is expected to miss up to four weeks.
3. Dragic has reached the 30-point mark twice in the past three games after failing to hit that mark in his first 47 contests.