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Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat have the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in deep trouble.
Butler delivered another masterclass in playoff basketball with a career-high 56 points in Miami’s 119-114 victory over the Bucks in Game 4 on Monday. Per the NBA, Butler’s 56 points are tied for the fourth-most in a playoff game, behind only Michael Jordan (63), Elgin Baylor (61), and Donovan Mitchell (57).
The Heat took a 3-1 series lead and can close out the series Wednesday in Milwaukee (9:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV).
The Bucks, who won the championship in 2021 and had the NBA’s best record at 58-24 this season, now need to win three consecutive games and just 13 teams in league history have come back from a 3-1 deficit to win a series. Denver did it twice in the 2020 bubble and Cleveland won the title in 2016 against Golden State after falling behind 3-1.
A No. 8 seed has defeated a No. 1 seed just five teams, the last time happening in 2012 when Philadelphia defeated Chicago.
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Milwaukee squandered a 101-89 lead in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, and Butler spearheaded Miami’s comeback.
Known for his playoff performances and desire to win, Butler scored 21 points in the fourth quarter on 6-for-8 shooting from the field and 8-for-9 from the foul line. During a stretch late in the game, Butler scored nine consecutive Miami points for a 114-109 lead.
In the first quarter, he scored 22 of Miami’s 28 points on 9-for-10 shooting. Overall, Butler was 19-for-28 from the field and also had nine rebounds.
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Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, in his first game back after missing the past two games with a bruised back, had a triple-double (26 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds), and Brook Lopez had 36 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks and two steals.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome another brilliant performance by Butler, who has scored 35, 30 and 56 points in Miami’s three victories against the Bucks. Butler’s heroics have come with Tyler Herro, one of three Heat players to average over 20 points per game this season, largely sidelined; Herro broke his right hand in Game 1 against the Bucks.
Butler has a knack for these performances in the playoffs. It’s why he’s called Jimmy Buckets. Or Playoff Jimmy.
Last season, he scored 47 and 41 points in wins against Boston in the conference finals, and in the 2020 Orlando bubble, he had games with 40 and 35 points against the Los Angeles Lakers in the Finals.
Miami didn’t have the season it thought it would have, especially offensively. But through four games, the Heat have found a combination of offense and defense that resemble last season’s team, which earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
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