Thanks to some fantastic defense in the second half and a heavy dose of “Playoff Jimmy”, the HEAT defeated the Bucks 115-104 Monday night at The Field House in Orlando to take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Let’s get right into Jimmy’s performance.
1. Jimmy Takes Over
With Miami and Milwaukee trading blows in the fourth quarter, Butler made sure his team was the last one standing.
How so?
Well, he led all players with 15 points in the final period, including some big-time jumpers.
Of course, Butler also emptied the tank defensively against Khris Middleton and helped his teammates guard Giannis Antetokounmpo.
And while Butler’s night will be remembered for how he closed the game, he was instrumental in the first three quarters with his usual methodical drives to the bucket. In fact, he scored 12 straight points for the HEAT midway through the third quarter.
Again, “Playoff Jimmy” was in full force.
When it was all said and done, Butler finished with a game and playoff career-high 40 points on 13-of-20 shooting from the field, including 2-of-2 from deep, and 12-of-13 from the line, four boards, two assists, a game-high two steals (tied with Bam Adebayo and Middleton), one block and a plus-seven rating.
2. Dragić Continues to Cook
From the opening tip, Goran Dragić took what the defense gave him and was an absolute terror in the pick-and-roll.
Seriously, he converted a number of crafty finishes en route to a 19-point first half and an eight-point third quarter.
I mean, just take a look at this play late in the third:
That’s the Dragon for ya.
In all, Dragić tallied 27 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and a perfect 7-of-7 from the line, six rebounds, five assists, one steal and a game-high plus-10 rating (tied with Adebayo).
3. Bam Stays Strong
After a little bit of a slow start, Adebayo picked up some steam in the second quarter and carried that over throughout the contest.
Not only did he free up Dragić with great screens, but he also dished out some remarkable passes to his teammates, like this bounce pass to Kendrick Nunn:
All that said, perhaps his most impressive play came in the fourth when he hit Marvin Williams with a jab step and knocked down a mid-range jumper.
Whoa.
And on the flip side of the ball, Adebayo was everywhere as usual.
The former Kentucky Wildcat ended up with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, a game-high 17 rebounds, a team-high six assists, a game-high two steals (tied with Butler and Middleton) and a game-high plus-10 rating (tied with Dragić).
Other Takeaways:
-Tyler Herro drilled two huge threes in the fourth to keep momentum on Miami’s side…
…and concluded with 11 points, three boards and an assist.
-Although the HEAT threw multiple looks and players at Antetokounmpo, Jae Crowder fared very well as the primary guy defending the “Greek Freak”.
In total, Crowder had nine points and nine rebounds.
Game Note:
-Kyle Alexander, KZ Okpala, Chris Silva (Left Pubic Bone Stress Fracture) and Gabe Vincent (Right Shoulder Sprain) were inactive.
Looking Ahead:
-Game 2 will be on Wednesday at 6:30 PM. You can catch the game only on ESPN, but the FOX Sports Sun pre and postgame shows will be on HEAT.com.
https://www.nba.com/heat/news/game-recap-mia-mil-200831
2020-09-01 03:14:22Z
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