For as a lot as Miami Heat ahead Jimmy Butler completed in capping his 56-point night time with 21 fourth-quarter factors in Monday’s 119-114 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, he not less than was afforded a breather in that decisive remaining interval.
Kyle Lowry wasn’t. He performed all 12 minutes.
Caleb Martin barely was, going all however 5 seconds within the interval.
Even Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo performed extra within the fourth than Butler’s 8:11.
The level being that at the same time as Butler led, there was a help system that additionally had the boldness of coach Erik Spoelstra.
“They had their fingerprints all over that fourth quarter,” Spoelstra mentioned of Butler’s closing forged, because the Heat now take their 3-1 lead within the best-of-seven Eastern Conference playoff collection into Fiserv Forum for Wednesday night time’s Game 5.
By the numbers, Lowry’s fourth quarter was mundane, with 4 factors, three rebounds and two assists. But his defensive feistiness proved recreation altering.
“Kyle’s toughness and disruptiveness, I literally have no idea what his stat line was, but I know in that fourth quarter he had his imprint on so many possessions,” Spoelstra mentioned. “Defensively, he was just tough, physical, active hands, speeding guys up, and then really helped us get organized on the other end.”
Monday was the primary time in additional than a month that Lowry was not listed on the Heat damage report with the knee soreness that had him out for a month earlier than his March 11 return.
“We got stops and we continued to play with pace,” Lowry mentioned of the Heat’s rally from 14 down within the fourth. “We got pressure. At the start of the game, they were physical. In the fourth quarter, we got physical and got our mojo on the defensive end going.”
Martin’s contribution was extra statistically tangible, with 10 factors within the fourth on 3-of-3 taking pictures from the sector, together with 2 of two on 3-pointers, in addition to 5 rebounds. He was the one Heat participant aside from Butler to attain greater than 4 within the fourth.
“Caleb,” Spoelstra mentioned, “you can’t say enough about him. This season, he’s been willing to sacrifice and do whatever we felt was best for the team.”
Martin now has his 4 highest-scoring profession playoff video games within the collection.
After recording a series-best +31 plus/minus in Game 3, Martin closed at +16 Monday night time, with the Heat outscoring the Bucks by 75 factors when he has been on the court docket in his 112:09 within the collection.
“Any way I can contribute,” he mentioned. “I just felt comfortable in those moments.”
Backs in opposition to wall
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer mentioned the subsequent problem for his group is easy and to the purpose.
“We just gotta go home and win a game,” he mentioned, with the Bucks tying for an East-best 32-9 residence file this season earlier than splitting the primary two video games of this collection at Fiserv. “We talked about it in the locker room. We gotta go to Milwaukee and win a game. Life is not complicated. That’s what we gotta go do.”
Heartening for the Bucks was All-Star ahead Giannis Antetokounmpo getting back from two missed video games attributable to a lower-back contusion and responding together with his third profession playoff triple-double, closing with 26 factors, 13 assists and 10 rebounds.
“I thought Giannis was mostly phenomenal,” Budenholzer mentioned. “Thirteen assists. I believed he discovered guys and made the fitting play. He obtained to the basket and completed. I’m undecided what extra Giannis might’ve executed. I believed his passing and playmaking was implausible.
“So, we’ll look at the film and see where everybody could be better. But for Giannis to come back and play [Monday] and play the way he did is very encouraging.”
Scoring binge
After ending the common season final in scoring of the NBA’s 30 groups, at 109.5 factors per recreation, the Heat have averaged 123 within the collection, with not less than 119 factors in every recreation.
Their final scoring burst got here after they scored 30 factors over the ultimate 5:45 Monday night time.
The Heat’s 41 fourth-quarter factors and their 69 second-half factors have been franchise playoff data.
Record tempo
With Monday’s victory, Spoelstra moved into sixth-place tie with legendary Celtics championship coach Red Auerbach, with 99 playoff victories, passing Jerry Sloan, who had 98.
Spoelstra has coached 165 profession playoff video games; the late Auerbach coached 168. Fifth on the all-time listing is Larry Brown, with 100 playoff victories in 193 profession playoff video games.
The all-time chief is Phil Jackson, with 229, with present Heat President Pat Riley second at 171.
Injury report
Adebayo is listed as possible on the Heat damage report for Game 5 with a strained left hamstring. The solely different gamers on the Heat damage report are Tyler Herro (hand) and Victor Oladipo (knee), who’re out,. Herro underwent surgical procedure final week, with Oladipo anticipated to bear surgical procedure this week.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com