It wasn't that the Bucks played poorly in a 99-97 loss to the Heat in yet another Milwaukee-Miami game that went down to the final shot at American Airlines Arena. In fact, Karl said he had never been more at ease with his team this season.

It was more of a case of Miami (4-15), with a couple of lineup tweaks and credible performances from its highly paid featured players, finally playing like a real NBA team in its first non-overtime victory since opening night.

"That's the most comfortable I've felt with the team all year long," said Karl, who was back on the bench for the first time since his father's death two games ago. "I thought we were playing a little bit like we were last year. We were passing the ball. At the end we were a great defensive team down the stretch."

They were until Eddie Jones sliced the lane with 10.5 seconds left, maneuvering his body just beyond the reach of Ervin Johnson for the winning layup. It was the first field goal the Bucks had allowed the Heat in almost 6 minutes, but it would be enough to send the Bucks (11-7) to their fifth consecutive road loss.