<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>So this is why the Heat coveted Mo Williams and Charlie Bell during the offseason free agency period. The Milwaukee guards proved to be just as elusive Wednesday night on the court as they were last summer for the Heat, which fell 103-98 to the Bucks at AmericanAirlines Arena. Williams and Bell accounted for 21 of their team's 31 points in the fourth quarter as the Bucks used a 12-0 run to pull away and break their nine-game road losing streak. The all-too-familiar combination of a late scoring drought and porous defense was again the culprit for the Heat (8-24), which now is tied for the most home losses in the league (11), in addition to having the worst record in the Eastern Conference. ''This is pretty much the bottom of the map,'' Heat forward Ricky Davis said. ``It can't get any worse.'' Perhaps it could -- especially if Dwyane Wade is lost from an already depleted lineup. Wade scored 22 of his game-high 27 points in the second half, but left in the final seconds after he jammed his right pinkie finger and aggravated his bruised right shoulder. Wade received what a team representative said was ''extensive treatment'' after the game and was not available for comment. Wade appeared to injure his hand when he tried to retrieve the ball after his turnover with 12 seconds left. He immediately grimaced and grabbed his right hand. The turnover, Wade's fourth, ended the Heat's rally from a 14-point deficit in the quarter. The Heat already was short-handed on a night when starters Jason Williams (knee), Dorell Wright (ankle) and Shaquille O'Neal (hips) were out because of injuries. In addition to those absences, Alonzo Mourning (season-ending knee surgery) and Smush Parker (conduct violation) have been out for weeks. Wade, who missed the first seven games while he recovered from offseason surgeries on his left knee and left shoulder, led the Heat in scoring in nine of the past 10 games. Heat coach Pat Riley said Wade has had to assume an even larger burden than expected recently because of the team's injury situation. With little offensive help aside from Davis, who had 23 points Wednesday, Wade has had to overextend himself. ''He's really sore,'' Riley said of Wade, who has averaged 28.7 points the past 10 games. ``He's doing everything he can do. If we weren't down so far [in the fourth quarter], he probably would have had enough to pull us out.'' Instead, the Heat went nearly seven minutes without a field goal from the end of the third quarter to the opening stages of the fourth. The Bucks stretched a 68-67 lead to 80-67 three minutes into the quarter. But Williams and Bell ensured there would be no completion to the Heat's comeback. Williams had 25 points and nine assists. Bell scored 12, but did his damage in the fourth, when the Bucks shot 70.6 percent. At one point, the Heat hoped either of the two would have been the answer for its backcourt. But Williams turned down the Heat's five-year, $32 million offer to re-sign with the Bucks for $52 million over six seasons. The Bucks (12-19) matched the Heat's five-year, $18 million offer to Bell, who was a restricted free agent. ''We played with a focus and a will to win,'' Williams said. The Heat now carries its worries back on the road, where it opens a five-games-in-10-days trip Friday against the Dallas Mavericks. O'Neal, Williams and Wright have not been ruled out for the trip, but it is not clear when they will be ready to return to the lineup. ''We've been a better team on the road,'' Davis said. ``Hopefully we can get something going out there.''</div> Source: Miami Herald
