Jimmy Butler drops Heat playoff RECORD by scoring 56 points in 119-114 win to give Miami a 3-1 lead and put Milwaukee on the brink of elimination – despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return from injury
Jimmy Butler scored a Miami playoff record 56 points as the Heat put the NBA’s top overall seed on the brink of early elimination.
The Heat roared back from 14 points down in the final quarter to stun the Milwaukee Bucks 119-114 on Monday night.
The 56 points were Butler’s career high and tied him for fourth most points all-time in a playoff game alongside Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlin, and Michael Jordan.
Butler, who was on the receiving end of ‘MVP’ chants during his sensational performance, said postgame: ‘I don’t know about MVP. I think that’s Joel [Embiid], if I’m being brutally honest.
‘For my team, to get this dub, in this way, in this atmosphere, for this city, it’s huge.’
Jimmy Butler recorded a Miami Heat playoff record 56 points in the win over the Bucks
56 points were Butler’s career high and tied him for fourth most points all-time in playoff game
The win gave Miami a 3-1 lead in the series putting the Bucks on the brink of elimination
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points in his return from a two-game absence due to injury
He was also asked about being nicknamed ‘playoff Jimmy,’ to which he responded: ‘It’s not a thing. It’s not. I just be hooping.’
He was 19 for 28 from the field, 15 of 18 from the foul line and added nine rebounds for eighth-seeded Miami – which took a 3-1 lead over the Bucks in their Eastern Conference first-round series.
Bam Adebayo scored 15, Caleb Martin had 12 and Gabe Vincent scored 10 for the Heat. Game 5 is at Milwaukee on Wednesday.
Former shooting guard Reggie Miller said of Butler: ‘This may be the greatest playoff performance by any Heat player.’
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra added: ‘He’s one of the most intelligent basketball players in this association.
‘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. And then it always helps to have a guy like him.’
Brook Lopez scored 36 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game absence with a bruised back and had a triple-double – 26 points, 10 rebounds and 13 assists.
And the Bucks led almost the whole way, until the Heat roared back in the final minutes.
Giannis had a triple-double but it was not enough and the Bucks are on the brink of elimination
Butler had 21 of his points in the fourth, and the Heat still trailed 101-89 after a layup by Lopez with 6:09 left.
That’s when a 13-0 run, capped by a Butler dunk off a Bucks turnover, put Miami up for the first time all night with 3:17 left – 102-101.
The lead changed hands four more times, and Butler’s 3-pointer with 1:20 left put Miami ahead for good.
He added a step-back jumper on Miami’s next possession, punched the air in celebration, and the Heat knew they would soon be leaving with a 3-1 lead.
Antetokounmpo missed Games 2 and 3 of the series – and most of Game 1 – with a bruised lower back.
He worked out Sunday, went through shootaround 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.
Butler had 21 of his points in the fourth quarter of the 119-114 victory in Game 4 Monday night
On the nickname ‘playoff Jimmy,’ Butler responded: ‘It’s not a thing. It’s not. I just be hooping’