By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI (AP) — Tyler Herro scored 29 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds and the Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks 106-103 in an NBA Cup game on Wednesday night, Nov. 26.
The win was the 800th for Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins and Kel’el Ware each scored 11 for Miami, which improved to 3-1 in Cup games and 9-1 at home this season. Miami would win Group C if Milwaukee beats New York on Friday; if the Knicks win that game the Heat would need some help to reach the quarterfinals.
Ryan Rollins scored 26 for Milwaukee, which got 24 from Myles Turner and 15 from Gary Trent Jr. The Bucks have dropped six straight, the last four of those without Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Spoelstra is the 17th coach in NBA history with 800 wins and only the third to reach that total with one franchise in regular-season play, joining Gregg Popovich (1,390 with San Antonio) and Jerry Sloan (1,127 with Utah).
Milwaukee lost an NBA Cup group stage game for the first time; the Bucks — the event’s defending champion — were 10-0 in that round of games since the tournament, now in its third season, was added to the schedule. Bucks coach Doc Rivers was 8-0 in Cup games as a coach entering Wednesday.
Antetokounmpo missed a fourth consecutive game with a strained left adductor. But he went through some of shootaround Wednesday and did a pregame workout, indicators that he could be nearing a return.
“Even when he’s playing there’s a stretch where he’s not on the floor that we still have to master and we have not this year yet,” Rivers said. “So, I still think in the long run this stretch will be good for us.”
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 40 points despite being ill and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-105, in an NBA Cup Game.
Gilgeous-Alexander, who was listed as questionable on the injury report, made 12 of 19 field goals and 15 of 17 free throws.
Oklahoma City won its 10th straight and became just the fifth team in NBA history to start a season 18-1. The Thunder improved to 4-0 in West Group A and are well-positioned to reach the knockout round.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 points in 91 consecutive games, the third-longest streak in NBA history behind two streaks by Wilt Chamberlain. Gilgeous-Alexander can match Chamberlain’s second-place run of 92 straight on Friday against Phoenix.
Anthony Edwards had 31 points and eight rebounds and kept the Timberwolves in the game by making several difficult shots, but couldn’t stop Minnesota from losing its third straight. Minnesota made just 22 of 37 free throws.
It was a rematch of the Western Conference finals series last season that the Thunder won 4-1. Last time the Timberwolves visited the Paycom Center, they got beat 124-94 in Game 5 as the Thunder clinched the West.
Oklahoma City’s Kenrich Williams, who had not played this season because of a left knee injury, got his first action in the first quarter.
The Thunder led 24-17 at the end of the opening quarter. It was Minnesota’s second-lowest point total in any quarter this season.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 19 points in the first half to help the Thunder take a 49-39 lead.
Minnesota rallied in the third quarter and tied it at 54 and again at 56, but the Thunder took a 78-71 lead into the fourth.
Minnesota was within one in the final minute after Edwards made a contested 3-pointer, but Chet Holmgren’s corner three put the Thunder up four with 38 seconds remaining. Oklahoma City outscored Minnesota 8-1 in the last 60 seconds.
