Damian Lillard had 29 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and the Milwaukee Bucks overcame travel issues to beat the Miami Heat 125-96 on Thursday for their fifth straight victory. Lillard had appeared to get his fourth career triple-double before leaving with 3:57 remaining,

Heat’s Larsson assesses his first NBA start and where he stands. And updates on Isaiah Stevens and Jimmy Butler.

Damian Lillard came up one rebound short of a triple-double, scoring 29 points and dishing 11 assists to lead the Milwaukee Bucks to a 125-96 win over the visiting Miami Heat on Thursday night.Milw

After being snowbound in New Orleans, the Bucks got to Milwaukee on Thursday about two hours before game time — and then routed Miami.

After a heck few days of travel, the Milwaukee Bucks easily dispatched the Miami Heat at home on Thursday night.

In a season that has gone from great expectations to high anxiety, the Miami Heat now seemingly have moved on to kernels of hope.

After being grounded in New Orleans all week by a historic winter storm and arriving in Milwaukee a little more than two hours before tipoff Thursday, the Bucks won their fifth straight game in convincing fashion.

The Heat are 3-7 against the spread in their last 10 games and would be looking over their shoulder if the bottom of the East wasn’t such a mess. With their season on the ropes, five of their last six losses have come by at least nine points.

Garland certainly has done his part, averaging 21.3 points, 6.7 assists, 2.5 rebounds, while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 42.8 percent on threes. While Herro averages more points, Garland is the only All Star caliber guard in the conference with higher overall and three-point shooting percentages than Herro.

The Bucks coach Doc Rivers explains his team's "strange, long couple of days," after their win against the Heat.

SportsLine's model has simulated the Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks matchup 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Thursday