(SportsNetwork.com) - It will be a matchup of one of the league's best versus the league's worst Saturday night when the Miami Heat visit the Milwaukee Bucks at the Bradley Center.
The Heat are the two-time defending NBA champions and the Bucks own the NBA's worst record.
Miami is just 8-8 in the month of March and one of those losses came in a crucial test against the Indiana Pacers, who are two games ahead in the battle for Eastern Conference supremacy.
The Heat atoned for that loss on Wednesday with resounding 110-78 road victory on Friday over the Detroit Pistons.
Miami missed Dwyane Wade (hamstring), Mario Chalmers (bruised quad), Greg Oden (back spasms) and Ray Allen (flu) against the Pistons, but it still had one big name in uniform.
LeBron James logged his first triple-double of the season with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists to power the shorthanded Heat.
"We were able to control the tempo tonight and they had to adjust to us," James said. "We got shots the whole night and we were able to have an advantage on the boards. That was key for us tonight."
Udonis Haslem also scored 17 and Chris Bosh contributed 15 points and nine boards for Miami. Chris Anderson (13), Norris Cole (12) and James Jones (10) also scored in double figures.
The Bucks snapped an eight-game losing streak on Thursday with a 108-105 home victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Brandon Knight poured in a game-high 30 points to lead Milwaukee to its second home win in its last three tries.
Ramon Sessions netted 22 and Khris Middleton scored 14 for the Bucks. John Henson, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zaza Pachulia added 10 points apiece, with Henson and Antetokounmpo chipping in seven rebounds each.
"We probably ran more pick-and-roll than any other game we played. But we really were just focused on trying to open up the floor," Bucks head coach Larry Drew said.
The Bucks still own the NBA's worst mark at 14-58. It's still a bit shocking that, despite the fact that the Philadelphia 76ers have tied the NBA record for most consecutive losses with 26, Milwaukee is still one game worse than the Sixers in the pursuit of ping-pong balls.
Ersan Ilyasova will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
The Heat beat the Bucks in the only meeting this season. Miami has won five of its last seven trips to Brew City.
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