Jimmy Butler drops Heat playoff RECORD after scoring 56 points to give Miami a 3-1 lead and put the Bucks on the brink of elimination with a 119-114 win despite Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return from injury
- Butler’s 56 points put him fourth all-time in an NBA playoff game
- Antetokounmpo put up 26 points on his return from a back contusion
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Jimmy Butler scored a Miami playoff-record 56 points, and the Heat roared back from trailing 14 points in the last quarter to stun the Milwaukee Bucks 119-114 on Monday night and put the NBA’s best overall streak on the brink of early elimination .
The 56 points also became the high point of Butler’s career, putting him fourth in all-time points in a playoff game with Charkes Barkley, Wilt Chamberlin and Michael Jordan.
He was 19 for 28 from the field, 15 of 18 from the foul line, and added nine rebounds for eighth-seeded Miami—who 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 Wednesday in Milwaukee.
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.
Jimmy Butler recorded a Miami Heat playoff record 56 points in the win over the Bucks
The win gave Miami a 3–1 series lead, putting the Bucks on the verge of elimination
Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 26 points in his return after a two-game absence due to injury
And the Bucks led almost all the way, until the Heat roared back in the final minutes.
Butler had 21 of his runs in the fourth, and the Heat still trailed 101-89 on a Lopez layup with 6:09 left.
That’s when a 13-0 run capped by a Butler dunk of a Bucks turnover put Miami on their feet for the first time all night with 3:17 left – 102-101.
The lead changed hands four more times and Butler’s three-pointer with 1:20 left gave Miami the lead for good.
He added a step-back jumper on Miami’s next possession, hit the air to celebrate, and the Heat knew they would soon leave 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 trained on Sunday, went through a shootout with the Bucks on Monday, got cleared to play and looked as good as new.
But Butler was better than ever.
He set the tone early on – with the highest scoring quarter of his career. He had 22 of Miami’s 28 points in the first quarter, including 20 in a row over a 5:45 run late in the period.
And in the fourth, he had 21 more – leading a huge comeback.
Butler’s 56 points also put him fourth all-time for most points in an NBA playoff game