Wednesday's NBA Playoffs: Jimmy Butler scores 42, Heat win in OT to eliminate top-seeded Bucks
Milwaukee — Jimmy Butler scored 42 points and the Miami Heat staged a second straight stunning fourth-quarter rally before winning 128-126 in overtime on Wednesday night in Game 5 to complete an upset of the top-seeded Bucks in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.
Two nights after outscoring the Bucks 30-13 in the final six minutes of a 119-115 victory in Miami, the Heat produced another huge comeback and tied the game on Butler's layup with half a second left in regulation.
Miami went on to become the sixth No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed. The last time it happened was in 2012, when a Philadelphia 76ers team featuring current Bucks guard Jrue Holiday capitalized on Derrick Rose’s knee injury to beat the top-seeded Chicago Bulls.
The Heat advanced to a second-round series with the fifth-seeded New York Knicks, who completed their 4-1 series win over the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier Wednesday. Game 1 is Sunday in New York.
Bam Adebayo put the Heat ahead for good by dunking in a putback of Butler's missed driving layup attempt with 4:44 left in overtime. The Bucks trailed 128-126 and had the ball in the closing seconds, but the clock ran out before Grayson Allen could take a shot as he drove to the basket.
Adebayo had 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Gabe Vincent added 22 points.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 38 points and 20 rebounds for the Bucks, though he shot just 10 of 23 on free-throw attempts. Khris Middleton added 33 points.
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Golden State 123, (at) Sacramento 116: Stephen Curry scored 31 points, Draymond Green had his highest-scoring game in more than five years and the Golden State Warriors won the first road game of their series against Sacramento, beating the Kings 123-116 Wednesday night to take a 3-2 lead.
Green had 21 points and seven assists in his first game back in Sacramento since getting ejected and later suspended for stepping on Domantas Sabonis' chest in a Game 2 loss.
Golden State now can try to wrap up the series with a fourth straight win at home on Friday night.
Golden State won only 11 games away from home in the regular season and lost the first two games in Sacramento before making the key plays in the second half to beat the Kings and extend their record to 28 straight playoff series with at least one road win.
Klay Thompson added 25 points, Wiggins had 20 and Kevon Looney matched his career-high with 22 rebounds.
De'Aaron Fox scored 24 despite a broken index finger on his shooting hand, and Monk and Sabonis added 21 points apiece for Sacramento.
Fox got the start despite breaking the tip of the index finger on his shooting hand late in Game 4. He played with a splint on the finger and showed no ill effects from the injury, making all three of his attempts from long range in the first quarter to help Sacramento build a 10-point lead.
(At) Memphis 116, Los Angeles Lakers 99: Desmond Bane had 33 points and 10 rebounds, Ja Morant added 31 points and 10 boards, and Memphis staved off elimination, forcing its first-round Western Conference series back to Los Angeles.
Jaren Jackson Jr., the NBA Defensive Player of the Year, had 18 points and 10 rebounds for the No. 2 seed Grizzlies, who cut the seventh-seeded Lakers’ series lead to 3-2. Game 6 is Friday night.
LeBron James started 1 of 7 from the field but finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, a modest follow-up after the 38-year-old played 45 minutes in Monday night’s overtime win in Los Angeles and became the oldest player in NBA history to post at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a playoff game.
Anthony Davis led the Lakers with 31 points and 19 rebounds.
New York 106, (at) Cleveland 95: Jalen Brunson scored 23 points, RJ Barrett added 21 and the New York Knicks beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to advance to the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs for the first time since 2013.
The Knicks easily controlled the series and the clincher even after Julius Randle aggravated his left ankle injury and missed the second half. The fifth-seeded Knicks will meet the Miami-Milwaukee winner next.
Brunson averaged 24 points in the series and led New York in scoring all four wins while outplaying Donovan Mitchell for the second straight postseason. Last year, Brunson was with Dallas when he got the best of Mitchell.
Mitchell scored 28 points and Darius Garland had 21 for the Cavs, who won 51 games during the regular season but whose inexperience showed throughout their first playoff series in five years.
The Cavs got pushed around and outrebounded in all four losses, including 48-30 in the clincher. New York center Mitchell Robinson finished with 18 rebounds — 11 offensive.