Shorthanded Heat rout Bucks again, retain East lead

They might as well have allowed the Milwaukee Bucks to play Wednesday night's game at AmericanAirlines Arena with Ping-Pong balls.

That clearly is where their interest rests, maintaining their top overall seed in the NBA Draft lottery.

To a degree, that made Wednesday night's final score: Miami Heat 96, Bye 77.

"That team obviously isn't playing for anything now," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said, "but you just don't want to give them life."

Shorthanded again, but with more than enough to complete the three-game season-series sweep, the Heat pushed their lead to 14 in the first quarter, 20 in the second, 21 in the third, and merely did what was required thereafter.

-- South Florida Sun Sentinel