The Miami Heat came into Game 4 of their first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks leading 2-1, and with Giannis Antetokounmpo returning to game action after missing the last two contests with a back injury, it looked like perhaps the Heat were in trouble.
But Jimmy Butler carried them to victory with a career-high 56 points, and the NBA world was amazed at his performance.
@JimmyButler you are RIDICULOUS!!!! Oh my gooodness!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Quentin Richardson (@QRich) April 25, 2023
Jimmmmmy Butler is That dude
— Kelly Olynyk (@KellyOlynyk) April 25, 2023
PLAYOFF MF HIMMY BUTLER
— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) April 25, 2023
I cannot remember any player in any playoff game ever getting and staying as hot start to finish as Jimmy Butler just did against the NBA's best defensive team – a No.-1 overall seed fighting for its playoff life desperately trying to avoid a 3-1 hole.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) April 25, 2023
Jimmy Butler put on the best performance this Playoff season scoring 56 points against the Milwaukee Bucks and ushering the Heat to a 3-1 Series lead!
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) April 25, 2023
That 56 piece wing dinner “all flats” might have been one of the best playoff performances I’ve ever seen!!! Btw they were air fried!!! Carry the hell on… #JimmyBuckets
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) April 25, 2023
Jimmy mf Butler!!!!!!!! 🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Victor Oladipo (@VicOladipo) April 25, 2023
Erik Spoelstra on Jimmy Butler:
“There’s a brilliance to the way he competes at the game of basketball.”
— Brady Hawk (@BradyHawk305) April 25, 2023
Butler shot a sizzling 19-of-28 from the field, and he did an incredible job of drawing fouls, attempting 18 free throws and making 15 of them. He basically was the Heat’s offense, as no one else was that effective for them on that end of the floor.
The fact that he did this against a team that ranked fourth in the regular season in defensive rating and won the NBA championship just two years ago made it all the more impressive.
The Bucks got out to an early double-digit lead, as it looked like Antetokounmpo was going to restore order, while center Brook Lopez had a monster game, finishing with 36 points, 11 rebounds and three blocked shots. They were still up by double digits midway through the fourth quarter, but that is when Jimmy Butler turned into Jimmy Buckets.
He scored basket after basket, and the Bucks had no answer for him. Meanwhile, they got stagnant on the offensive end and committed some uncharacteristic miscues down the stretch, allowing Miami to secure a surprising 119-114 win.
All of a sudden, it leads the series 3-1 and is on the verge of knocking out the top-seeded Bucks. If it follows through and wins the series, it would be a very rare upset by an eighth-seeded team over a top-seeded squad.
This series is far from over, however. Game 5 will take place in Milwaukee, where the Bucks were 32-9 in the regular season, and if they manage to win that contest, they will take a league-best 26-15 regular season road record back to South Florida for Game 6.
