Lillard, who requested a trade to the Heat during the 2023 offseason before eventually being traded to the Bucks, was sensational. Lillard led the way for the Bucks, finishing with 37 points on 10-of-17 shooting from the field,

In terms of the NBA Cup outlook after the Heat lost to the Bucks, they are technically not out of the race for a spot in the knockout round, but they need a plethora of steps to happen their way. They are third in East Group B behind the Bucks and the Detroit Pistons and are far out of the wild card spot.

The Bucks (3-0 in Cup play) also moved a half-game ahead of Detroit (2-0) in the East Group B standings. Jimmy Butler scored 23 points for Miami, which got 18 from Tyler Herro, 17 from Terry Rozier and 16 from Bam Adebayo.