Bucks vs. Heat score: Live NBA playoffs updates as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee look to even series

The Miami Heat and Milwaukee Bucks provided NBA fans with another thrilling postseason matchup on Monday night as Jimmy Butler did everything in his power to will Miami to a 3-1 lead in this best-of-seven series with a 119-114 victory in South Beach. In the end, the Heat star finished the comeback win with a game-high 56 points to go along with nine rebounds and two assists, setting a Heat postseason record for points in a single game, to push the Bucks to the brink of elimination.

Butler’s performance will overshadow some stellar games from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez as they combined for 62 points, 21 rebounds and 13 assists in what has to be a crushing loss for Milwaukee, considering they owned a double-digit lead entering the fourth quarter. With the win, Miami now has the opportunity to close things out on the road at what will surely be a rowdy Fiserv Forum in Game 5 later this week. 

Here are three key takeaways from Game 4:

1. Jimmy G. Buckets

The “G” stands for “gets,” and that’s just what Butler was doing on Monday night. He poured in 56 points, which were not only a personal career-high, but a Heat franchise playoff record — which is really saying something considering the amount of Hall of Famers that have come through that city — and enough for the joint fourth-highest scoring game in NBA playoff history. 

Butler started off on fire and poured in 22 points in the first quarter alone, including the team’s final 20 points in the frame. For much of the game, though, it seemed that Butler’s one-man act was not going to be enough for the Heat, who trailed by as much as 15 in the game and as much as 14 in the fourth quarter; with less than six minutes to play, they were still down by 12.

That’s when Butler once again took over the game. He ripped off 19 points in the final 5:16, outscoring the Bucks by himself during that closing stretch. He had a fastbreak dunk to give the Heat their first lead with 3:17 to play. Then, after the Bucks had jumped back in front in the final 90 seconds, he hit back-to-back pull-up jumpers (one of which ended up being a long two) to give the Heat the lead again for good. 

Butler has always been a guy who steps up in the postseason, but this was a different level, even for him. He may have to summon another 

2. Giannis gets triple-double in return

Butler’s stunning effort overshadowed the fact that Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a back contusion for the first time since the second quarter of Game 1. If there’s a silver lining from this night for Milwaukee, it’s that Antetokounmpo looked like his usual self. 

He seemed intent on sending a message early by whirling to the basket for an impressive layup before throwing down a reverse slam in the opening minutes. He later became more of a playmaker to pick apart the zone the Heat threw at the Bucks and set up his teammates with open looks time and again. 

All told, Antetokounmpo finished with a third career playoff triple-double: 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists on 12-of-22 from the field. The big question now is how his back will respond to the rigors of a playoff game. If he comes through in good shape, the Bucks can still win this series; they controlled the majority of this game before collapsing down the stretch. 

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3. Bucks on the brink

Even with Antetokounmpo’s injury and a 2-1 series deficit, it never felt like the Bucks would actually lose this matchup. They are a far deeper and more talented team, especially now that the Heat have lost Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo for the series. The first 42 minutes of Game 4 felt like they proved as much, and if the Bucks had held on to even the series at 2-2, they would have been big favorites to advance. 

Instead, they collapsed down the stretch and are now on the brink of going home early for the second straight postseason. Even acknowledging the bad injury luck, it would be a massive disappointment for the Bucks to lose to the Heat after winning 58 games in the regular season and earning the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs. 

If the Bucks do end up losing this series, they would become the first No. 8 seed to be eliminated in the first round since the Chicago Bulls in 2012. That was another injury-influenced situation, as the Bulls lost Derrick Rose to a torn ACL in Game 1 and were unable to recover.