NBA playoffs: Jimmy Butler scores record 56 as Heat rally past Bucks
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MIAMI, April 24 (UPI) — Jimmy Butler burned the nets for a franchise playoff record 56 points, stoking a 119-114 comeback victory over the Milwaukee Bucks and giving the Miami Heat a 3-1 lead in the first-round series Monday in Miami.
“I think the best players show up and show out,” Butler said. “I’m not saying I’m one of the best players, but I want to be looked at as such.”
Kaseya Center attendees mouthed a chorus of screams and MVP chants for Butler throughout the rally, with the No. 8 Heat closing a 15-point gap to steal Game 4 from the top-seeded Bucks.
“There’s a brilliance about how he competes at the game of basketball,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “I think that probably sums it up.”
The Heat need just one victory in the best-of-seven-game series to advance to the second round.
“We knew what we were capable of, even if nobody else outside of this building, outside this roster or organization, believed in us and that’s fine,” Butler said.
Butler’s 22 total points in the first quarter tied Dwyane Wade for the franchise record for most in a quarter of a playoff game. His 56 total points broke LeBron James’ former franchise record for a playoff appearance.
Butler made 19 of 28 shots and recorded nine rebounds in the win. Heat center Bam Adebayo chipped in 15 points. Bucks big men Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 36 and 26 points, respectively, in the loss.
Antetokounmpo and Lopez used their size and strength to overwhelm the Heat early on. The Bucks never trailed over the first 44:43.
Antetokounmpo, who returned from a two-game injury absence, awed fans with a reverse dunk and smooth drives to the rim right off the opening tip-off.
The Bucks scored seven unanswered to start the game. They outscored the Heat 17-5 over the first 6:53.
Butler attempted to spark an initial rally, scoring the Heat’s final 20 points of the quarter, but the Bucks still carried a 33-28 lead into the second.
The Heat cut the deficit to two several times before they tied the score at 38-38 with 6:58 remaining in the second quarter. The Bucks responded with nine unanswered and carried a 57-50 edge into the second half.
Antetokounmpo and Lopez scored 17 points apiece over the first 24 minutes.
The Bucks scored the first five points of the third and the lead later ballooned to 15. They carried an 89-78 edge into the fourth.
The Heat, who made 10 3-pointers in the first half, were 0 for 5 from downtown in the third quarter.
The Heat trailed 101-89 with 6:09 remaining. They responded with a 13-0 run to take their first lead of the night with 3:17 to go. Eight of those points came from Butler.
The Heat and Bucks exchanged the lead three more times until Butler hit a pull-up 3-pointer for a 110-109 edge with 1:20 remaining. That score was part of a run of nine straight Heat points from Butler.
The Heat outscored the Bucks 12-5 over the final 80 seconds. Butler totaled 21 points over the final 12 minutes.
“In many ways, for 40 minutes of this game, it was frustrating,” Spoelstra said. “Things weren’t going our way. … It just shows you, if you have the right grit and perseverance you can win.”
Game 5 will tip off at 9:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.