Jimmy Butler was an absolute beast on the floor on Monday night as he hit three consecutive hoops down the stretch to cap a postseason career-high, 40-point performance.
With his help, fifth-seeded Miami Heat stun the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 115-104 in the opener of their Eastern Conference semi-final series in the NBA bubble.
The Milwaukee Bucks had lost Game 1 of their first-round series, which they went on to win 4-1.
Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat played fantastic defence to come away with a win and take a 1-0 series lead over Milwaukee Bucks.
Butler has always wanted to be the main focus of the team, and despite all the attention, he has been up to the task in his first postseason with Miami.
After leading the Heat to a first-round sweep of the Indiana Pacers, Butler dominated Game 1 of this series, finishing with 40 points and four rebounds to set a new playoff career-high, with Goran Dragic also excelling for the Heat, going for 27 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Giannis Antetokounmpo nearly recorded a triple-double with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists, but the Heat largely held him in check, and he had a really rough day from the free-throw line (4-of-12).
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Antetokounmpo’s 18 points were his fewest in a playoff game since he was held to 12 by Toronto in Game 3 of the Eastern Finals last season.
Khris Middleton added 28 points and Brook Lopez added 24 as both of them had strong performances on the night, but they did most of their work in the first half.
Game leaders
Miami Heat
- Points: Jimmy Butler – 40
- Assists: Bam Adebayo – 6
- Rebounds: Bam Adebayo – 17
Milwaukee Bucks
- Points: Khris Middleton – 28
- Assists: Giannis Antetokounmpo – 9
- Rebounds: Giannis Antetokounmpo – 10
Heat lead series 1-0
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