Miami's game against Milwaukee on Thursday may have been the beginning of a short audition for forwards Tang Hamilton, LaPhonso Ellis and Sam Mack.

Heat coach Pat Riley still is deciding whether or not to sign a small forward to make up for the loss of Kendall Gill, who had surgery on his fractured left pinky finger Friday and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Ellis started against the Bucks, with Hamilton playing 17 minutes and Mack nine.

The results may sway Riley toward picking up a free-agent forward.

Riley wants a facilitator at the position, but more importantly a solid defender. And given that Bucks forward Glenn Robinson scored 26 points on 10-of-16 shooting, Riley probably didn't see the type of defense he was expecting.

Ellis started the night defending Robinson, but the Milwaukee forward also took advantage of Hamilton and Eddie Jones, who defended well against Ray Allen and Tim Thomas, but struggled with Robinson in the post. Mack, the three-point specialist who is still trying to find ways to contribute, was scoreless.