The Miami Heat staved off elimination on Friday at TD Garden as Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 47 points to force a Game 7 against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics.
Miami was once again without Tyler Herro (injured), leaving Butler with the burden of being hyper-aggressive on the offensive end. Butler shot 16-for-29 from the field, 4-for-8 from beyond the arc, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out nine assists.
He also joined Michael Jordan as the only two players ever with multiple playoff games scoring over 40 points while getting at least four steals. The entire game was a back-and-forth clash that saw Miami take the biggest lead of the night at 13 points.
Jimmy Butler hits the dagger
Boston managed to regain the lead in the fourth quarter but Kyle Lowry and Butler took over down the stretch to end on a 17-6 scoring run. One of the most clutch plays was Butler hitting a fadeaway, jumper from near the perimeter to ice the game.
Lowry finished the night with 18 points and 10 assists, Max Strus contributed to the victory with 13 points, and P.J. Tucker added 11. Both sides were evenly matched in all major stats. The game had eight lead changes and was tied seven times.
Tatum led the Celtics in scoring with 30 points, Derrick White went off for 22 off the bench, Jaylen Brown got 20, while Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III added a respective 14 and 12. Game 7 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals is scheduled to tip off at 20:30 ET on Sunday, May 29, at FTX Arena.
Marca
