Heat 94, Bucks 83
LeBron James had 28 points, seven rebounds and seven assists as host Miami matched the franchise record of 61 victories.
Udonis Haslem had 10 points and a season-best 15 rebounds as the Heat tied the record set by the 1996-97 squad. Miami has five regular-season games remaining and also is four games ahead of the San Antonio Spurs in the competition for home-court advantage throughout the playoffs.
Brandon Jennings scored 30 points for Milwaukee, which slipped to three games behind the seventh-place Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Bucks have clinched a playoff spot but are hoping to move up and avoid a first-round matchup against the Heat.
Milwaukee cut an 18-point final-quarter deficit to 86-74 on a basket by Luc Richard Mbah a Moute with 5:35 left but James answered with a basket and Ray Allen drained a 3-pointer as the Heat held off the charge.
Miami led 47-46 at halftime and began pulling away in the third quarter and stretched its lead to 15 points on a basket by Rashard Lewis with 2:15 remaining. The Heat led 71-59 entering the fourth quarter and opened the stanza with 3-pointers by James and James Jones to make it 77-59 with 11:04 to play.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Miami was again without G Dwyane Wade (knee, ankle) and F Chris Bosh (knee). … Outside of Jennings, the other four Milwaukee starters combined for 27 points on 12-of-32 shooting. … The Heat collected 14 offensive rebounds en route to a 49-37 edge.