Jimmy Butler scored 56 points to lead the Miami Heat to a surprising comeback victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday, putting the Eastern Conference’s top seed on the verge of elimination.
He started the game with a 22-point first quarter that included a 20-point run by the Heat. He concluded with a 21-point fourth quarter to help Miami come back from a 12-point deficit and win 119-114.
Nonetheless, Butler’s 56-point performance makes it tough to dismiss his playoff greatness. Butler equaled the fourth-highest scoring performance in an NBA playoff game, leading the Heat back from a 14-point fourth-quarter hole to stun the Bucks and put the NBA’s top overall seed to the brink of elimination.
Butler’s effort gave the Heat a 3-1 series lead after he set a career high in scoring in the regular season or playoffs and scored 50 points in the NBA for the first time since Giannis Antetokounmpo in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals.
The victory gave the eighth-seeded Heat a 3-1 series lead against a Bucks club that concluded the regular season with the best record in the NBA. They won in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return to the court after a two-plus game layoff due to a back contusion.
Jimmy Butler Spoiled the Antetokounmpo’s return
Butler’s dominance overshadowed Antetokounmpo’s return after missing the previous two games due to a lower back injury. With Antetokounmpo’s 26 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds, the Bucks became only the sixth No. 1 seed to trail 3-1 against a No. 8 seed since the first round was expanded to a best-of-seven format in 2003. Only one of those teams (the Detroit Pistons in 2003) recovered to win the series.
Antetokounmpo looked unaffected by his injury, posting a triple-double and displaying the form that has earned him a two-time league MVP award. It wasn’t enough to overcome a tenacious Butler, who continued to carry the Heat on his back, this time with a career-high scoring performance.