Jimmy Butler had the sport of his lifestyles, and the Miami Heat had a comeback for the ages.
Butler scored 56 aspects – tying the fourth-best scoring efficiency ever in an NBA playoff recreation – and the Heat roared again from 14 aspects down within the ultimate quarter to stun the Milwaukee Bucks 119-114 on Monday evening to place the NBA’s best total seed getting ready to early removal.
The 56 aspects additionally turned into Butler’s occupation top. He was once 19 for 28 from the sector, 15 of 18 from the foul line and added 9 rebounds for eighth-seeded Miami, which took a 3-1 lead over the Bucks of their Eastern Conference first-round sequence.
“For my team, to get this dub, in this way, in this atmosphere, for this city, it’s huge,” Butler mentioned.
Bam Adebayo scored 15, Caleb Martin had 12 and Gabe Vincent scored 10 for the Heat. Game 5 is at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Brook Lopez scored 36 aspects and grabbed 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game absence because of a bruised again and had a triple-double – 26 aspects, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
The Bucks led virtually the entire manner, till the Heat roared again within the ultimate mins.
“We didn’t make enough plays on either end,” Bucks trainer Mike Budenholzer mentioned. “And they did.”
Butler had 21 of his aspects within the fourth, and the Heat nonetheless trailed 101–89 after a layup through Lopez with 6:09 left. That’s when a 13-0 run, capped through a Butler dunk off a Bucks turnover, put Miami up for the primary time all evening with 3:17 left – 102-101.
The lead modified fingers 4 extra occasions, and Butler’s three-pointer with 1:20 left put Miami forward for excellent. He added a step-back jumper on Miami’s subsequent ownership, punched the air in birthday party, and the Heat knew they’d quickly be leaving with a 3-1 lead.
“For 40 minutes of this game, it was frustrating. … It just shows you that when you have the right grit and perseverance, you can win,” said Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. “And then it always helps to have a guy like him.”
The only players to score more in a playoff game: Michael Jordan with 63 in 1986, Elgin Baylor with 61 in 1962, and Donovan Mitchell with 57 in 2020. Butler became the fourth with 56, joining Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley.
The Miami crowd hailed Butler with chants of “MVP”. But the 33-year-old was modest when asked about the cheers after the game.
“I don’t know about MVP,” he mentioned. “I believe that is Joel [Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers],
Antetokounmpo missed Games 2 and 3 of the series – and most of Game 1 – with his back injury. He worked out Sunday, went through shoot-around with the Bucks on Monday, got cleared to play and looked good as new.
But Butler was better than ever. He set the tone early, with the highest-scoring quarter of his career. He had 22 of Miami’s 28 first-quarter points, including 20 in a row over a span of 5:45 late in the period. And in the fourth, he had 21 more, leading a massive comeback.
The last time a No 8 seed beat a No 1 seed in the playoffs was when the Memphis Grizzlies knocked out the San Antonio Spurs in 2011.