Erik Spoelstra hit another milestone (Image via NBA) In an NBA Cup game on Wednesday night, Tyler Herro scored 29 points, Bam Adebayo finished with 17 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 106-103. Erik Spoelstra, the coach of the Heat, celebrated his 800th victory.After the Heat defeated the Milwaukee Bucks in an Emirates NBA Cup 2025 Group Play game, Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was taken aback by the sight of water bottles being thrown at him from every direction in a happy locker room.
Miami Heat end Milwaukee Bucks’ perfect NBA Cup run, as Erik Spoelstra quietly hits historic 800-win milestone
Miami has moved to 3-1 in Cup games and 9-1 at home this season with two goals from Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins, and Kel’el Ware. If Milwaukee defeats New York on Friday, Miami will win Group C; if the Knicks prevail, the Heat will require assistance to go to the quarterfinals.Milwaukee’s Ryan Rollins scored 26 points, while Myles Turner scored 24 and Gary Trent Jr. scored 15. Giannis Antetokounmpo has missed the last four of the Bucks’ six consecutive losses. Along with Jerry Sloan and Gregg Popovich, Spoelstra is the third coach in NBA history to reach 800 wins with just one team during the regular season.Spoelstra had no idea what was happening. He said Wednesday night: “I was very confused.. I was calculating that maybe we’ve qualified for the Cup. Then I’m looking around and nobody else is getting water dumped on them, and I’m like, ‘Wait a minute — what’s going on here?’”Spoelstra discovered the milestone at that point. Along with Popovich of San Antonio and Sloan of Utah, he is only the third coach in NBA history to win that many games with a single team.“It hasn’t sunk in yet because I wasn’t aware of it. It’s fitting that it comes on the eve of Thanksgiving,” Spoelstra said. “I just feel incredible gratitude for this organization and all of these years. I’m having a hell of a time. I love what I do, I love coaching, I love this profession, I love working for this organization, I love working for — and with — amazing players and staff.”
Eric Spoelstra opened up and celebrated his historic 800th win
The Bucks, the event’s defending champion, were 10-0 in that round of games since the tournament, currently in its third season, was added to the schedule. Milwaukee lost an NBA Cup group stage game for the first time. As of Wednesday, Bucks coach Doc Rivers has an 8-0 record in Cup games.But the Heat, who are 13-6 this season and third-best in the Eastern Conference, haven’t missed a day of work, and Spoelstra hasn’t either:“It’s huge. I’m trying to think of how old I was when Spo probably got his first one and then to be where he is now — he’s got 800 of them — is insane,” Heat guard Tyler Herro said. “It’s great to be a part of a great organization who’s historically been one of the top.”It turns out that Spoelstra was unaware of the achievement. Spoelstra is currently 33 victories away from 16th place, a spot he could undoubtedly attain before the season ends if the Heat keep up their explosive pace. Miami is currently in third position in the Eastern Conference standings after winning six straight games.Also read: Miami Heat vs Golden State Warriors (11-19-2025) game preview: When and where to watch, expected lineup, injury report, prediction, and more