The Miami Heat have taken a commanding 3-1 lead in their first round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, with a historic performance from Jimmy Butler leading them to a 119-114, victory in Game 4.
Despite missing the previous two games with a back contusion, Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the lineup for the Bucks in Game 4 and helped his team get off to a strong start. Milwaukee opened up a 10-3 lead in the first few minutes of the game and dominated for most of the match, leading for a total of 44 minutes and never trailing until the very end.
However, the Heat showed incredible resilience and determination to come back from a 12-point deficit with just over six minutes left to play. They closed out the game on a 30-13 scoring run, with Jimmy Butler taking charge and scoring 18 of those points himself.
Butler’s 56-point performance was a franchise record for the Miami Heat and tied him for fourth in NBA history, behind only Michael Jordan’s 63 points, Elgin Baylor’s 61 points, and Donovan Mitchell’s 57 points. His herculean effort truly willed his team to victory, despite the numerous injuries they’ve had to deal with throughout the post-season.
Bam Adebayo also stepped up for the Heat, contributing 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Caleb Martin added 12 points and 9 rebounds. For the Bucks, Brook Lopez led the way with 36 points and 11 rebounds, followed by Antetokounmpo’s third postseason triple-double with 26 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds, as well as 14 points each from Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday.
As the series heads back to Milwaukee for Game 5, the Bucks face an uphill battle, with history showing that teams up 3-1 win 95% of the time. However, they’ll look to achieve the improbable and keep their impressive 58-win season alive.
For the Miami Heat, they’ll aim to make history of their own by becoming the first team to advance past the first round series after winning the play-in, and the first eighth seed to win their series since the 2011 “Grit-N-Grind” Memphis Grizzlies. With “Himmy” Butler leading the way, anything is possible for this resilient and determined Miami team.
For more sports coverage from MLB, NBA, NFL, to NCAA contact Julian Ojeda at 786-501-9082 or via email julian@communitynewspapers.com
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