Milwaukee was also without Michael Redd (sore left knee) and top defender Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (left foot sprain). The missing players finally took a toll at the end.

"We got fatigued, you could see it. We had several breakdowns in a row," Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. "We just ran out of gas for a while and lost our focus."

Notes

Howard has 15 double-doubles in 18 career games against Milwaukee. ... Barnes said he planned to appeal a $20,000 fine handed down Saturday by the NBA for throwing a basketball into the stands following Miami's 99-98 last-second win on Wednesday. ... A Sesame Street production pushed the tip-off back 30 minutes. The Bucks' court and hoops weren't installed and ready for play until 2 hours before the tip.