Injuries on both sides played a huge role in the Miami Heat’s 130-117 road win against the Milwaukee Bucks. Giannis Antetokounmpo played after only 17 minutes after suffering a back injury that he tried to play through. Tyler Hero broke his hand late in the third quarter and will likely be out for the rest of the playoffs. Jimmy Butler took over for the Miami Heat last night, who now has the second-most (10) 35-plus points in playoff games in franchise history.
Jimmy Butler played 98 playoff games during his career and his best post season basketball was with the Miami Heat. In 43 games with the Heat including their upset win over the Bucks last night, he averaged (23.9) points, (6.9) rebounds, (5.7) assists and (2.0) steals. He took his game to a new level when the playoffs began and Butler has been the catalyst for the Heat for the past four years.
NBA betting sites have the Milwaukee Bucks at (-250) to win Game 2 on Wednesday. These early lines almost imply that Giannis will return.
35+ Playoff Point Games in Heat History:
Dwyane Wade: 14 matches
Jimmy Butler: 10 games
LeBron James: 9 matches pic.twitter.com/JLwIWWLCPF– NBA History (NBAHistory) April 17, 2023
Jimmy Butler had 35 points last night in Miami’s 130-117 win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
With his 35/5/11 last night against the Bucks, Jimmy Butler passed LeBron James with the most 35 playoff points in franchise history. Butler did this 10 times in his playoff career with the Heat in 43 post-season games. James did that 9 times in 87 postseason games from 2011-2014.
The six-time star made an immediate impact when he arrived in Miami for the 2019-20 season. Butler and the rest of the NBA have been competing in the bubble during Covid and the Heat made it to the NBA Finals that season. They lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, and Jimmy Butler led the league with 21 post-season games played in the playoffs 19-20.
Last night, the Heat managed to start the series with a great win on the road and a 1-0 lead. The Bucks struggled to stay competitive in last night’s game and cut the lead to within a few possessions. However, Milwaukee wouldn’t be the same without Giannis Antetokounmpo and they’ll be hoping he moves around healthy after he had a nasty spill on his back last night. Game two is on Wednesday at 9:00 PM EST.