Jimmy Butler seized control down the stretch, scoring a career-playoff high 40 points as the Miami Heat beat the Milwaukee Bucks in the opening game of their second round NBA playoff series on Monday.
Butler was a one-man wrecking crew, scoring 13 of Miami’s final 16 points in the NBA’s quarantine bubble in Orlando, Florida. He scored 27 of his 40 points in the second half. Butler warned his teammates not to expect any passes with the game on the line. “I told my teammates I probably wasn’t going to pass the ball. I made a couple of shots and they said, ‘That’s fine with me,’” Butler said. Butler is just the third player in Heat history with a 40-point game in the playoffs, joining LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
“I took it up a level in the fourth. If that’s what needs to happen every game, I have got to do it,” he said.
Game two of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series is today in Orlando. Goran Dragic added 27 points as he helped the Heat clamp down defensively which set the stage for Butler’s offensive heroics. With 52 seconds left, Dragic made a clutch defensive play by stealing the ball from Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo to preserve Miami’s seven-point lead, 111-104. Bam Adebayo had 12 points and 17 rebounds and rookie Tyler Herro tallied 11 points for the Heat, who swept the Indiana Pacers in the previous round.
Fifth seeded Miami found a way to contain reigning NBA most valuable player Antetokounmpo, who was limited to just 18 points. It was the Greek superstar’s fewest points in a playoff game since he was held to 12 by the Toronto Raptors in game three of the NBA semi-finals last season. He also missed eight of 12 free throws against the Heat.
Khris Middleton scored 28 points and Brook Lopez had 24 for the Bucks, who also lost the opening game of their first round series before winning four straight to beat the Orlando Magic in five games.
The Bucks came into the contest after setting a trend in the final week of the first round by staging a strike in order to draw awareness to police brutality and racial discrimination in America.
The Bucks’ actions led to the NBA coming to an agreement with players on engaging in social justice initiatives.
After falling behind in the first quarter Miami stormed back, cutting Milwaukee’s lead to 63-60 at halftime. The Heat took a 82-80 lead into the fourth quarter and then Butler carried them to the finish line.
Butler’s 40 points came on 13-for-20 shooting and 12-for-13 shooting from the charity stripe. His previous playoff high was 36 points for Philadelphia against Brooklyn last season.


Paul, Thunder push 
Rockets to Game 7
Chris Paul scored a team-high 28 points and carried the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 104-100 victory over the Houston Rockets on Monday near Orlando, forcing a decisive seventh game in the teams’ Western Conference first-round playoff series. Game 7 is scheduled for Wednesday at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex, with the winner advancing to oppose the Los Angeles Lakers in the conference semifinals.
Paul tallied 15 points in the fourth quarter and drilled back-to-back 3-pointers that pulled the Thunder even at 98-98 with 2:57 remaining. His two free throws with 13.1 seconds left provided the winning margin for the Thunder.
Paul added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals in 40 turnover-free minutes. The Rockets, conversely, committed 22 turnovers, including seven from Russell Westbrook, whose errant pass following the Paul free throws sealed the defeat for the mistake-prone Rockets.
James Harden paced the Rockets with 32 points and also had eight rebounds and seven assists but committed five turnovers. Robert Covington added 18 points, five steals and three blocks for Houston but was the defender on both Paul treys and committed the foul that placed Paul at the line late.
There were 14 lead changes and 11 ties. The Thunder surged back into contention with a 16-3 run that bridged the final two periods, pushing to an 85-78 lead in the process. Danilo Gallinari chipped in 25 points for Oklahoma City and Luguentz Dort, who shot 0-for-9 from behind the arc in Game 5, hit two 3-pointers as part of the run that lifted the Thunder back in contention in the third. Westbrook scored 17 points while Eric Gordon missed 9 of 12 shots and had nine points for Houston.
The Rockets and Thunder combined for 10 turnovers and 5-for-22 3-point shooting in what was a ragged first quarter, but Harden provided the Rockets a bit of stability in the second. He amassed 17 points, four rebounds and four assists prior to the intermission, and his length-of-the-court pass to Gordon resulted in a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that provided Houston a 51-48 lead at the break.