The top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks aim to stave off elimination on Wednesday when they host the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first-round series.
The Bucks’ bid to even the best-of-seven set at two wins apiece went by the boards on Monday after they squandered a 12-point lead midway into the fourth quarter of a 119-114 setback in Miami.
Milwaukee now faces an uphill climb as only 13 NBA teams successfully have overcome 3-1 series deficits. The Denver Nuggets were the last team to accomplish the feat, doing so on two occasions during the 2020 NBA playoffs.
Jimmy Butler made life complicated for the Bucks on Monday by erupting for a franchise playoff-best 56 points.
Butler bolted out of the blocks by making 9 of 10 shots from the floor — including both attempts from 3-point range — to finish with a franchise playoff high-tying 22 points in the first quarter. He capped his surge with 21 points in the fourth quarter to finish tied for the fourth-most points in an NBA playoff game, trailing only Basketball Hall of Famers Michael Jordan (63, 1986) and Elgin Baylor (61, 1962), and Donovan Mitchell (57, 2020).
Miami coach Erik Spoelstra was quick to applaud Butler for his performance. He was even quicker to note that the series is far from over against the team that posted the NBA’s best record during the regular season.
Butler’s heroics overshadowed the impressive performances of Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Lopez collected 36 points and 11 rebounds and Antetokounmpo had 26 and 10, respectively, to go along with 13 assists in his return from a two-game absence due to a bruised back.
Antetokounmpo made 12 of 22 shots from the floor and logged 38 minutes in his first game in more than a week.
