Jimmy Butler scores 27, Miami beats Boston 111-105 to take 2-0 lead in East finals
Jimmy Butler, Heat shock Celtics again to take 2-0 series lead
Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo take over in the fourth quarter to lead the Heat to another win in Boston.
BOSTON -- — Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, hitting a pair of buckets to give the Heat the lead after they erased a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit and Miami beat Boston 111-105 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Bam Adebayo had 22 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, and Caleb Martin came off the bench to score 25 points for eighth-seeded Miami, which won twice in Boston to earn a chance to complete the sweep at home.
Game 3 is Sunday.
Jayson Tatum had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Boston. But the Celtics star went 0 for 3 with two turnovers in the fourth quarter, when Boston blew an 89-77 lead en route to a second home loss in three nights. Jaylen Brown scored 16 points on 7-for-23 shooting; he went 1 for 5 with a turnover in the final quarter, when Miami outscored Boston 36-22.
The Celtics led by 11 in the third quarter and made it a dozen early in the fourth. It was a 96-87 Boston lead when Butler scored, going forehead-to-forehead with Grant Williams before hitting the free throw to complete the three-point play.
Butler sneered at Williams' attempt to get him off his game with words, and after Tatum missed from long distance, Butler drove to the basket to make it a four-point game.
Miami erased it.
Miami trailed 98-96 when Butler was called for an offensive foul, kicking Marcus Smart after landing on a missed 3-pointer.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra challenged, but lost.
Butler responded.
He made a 17-footer to tie it 100-all, and then a short fadeaway to give Miami the lead. After Max Strus made one of two free throws, Adebayo scored on a putback dunk to make it 105-100 with less than a minute to play.
Boston used a 21-2 run to turn an eight-point, first-quarter deficit into an 11-point lead.
TIP-INS
Brown was 1 for 7 in the first quarter, when Tatum scored 12. Derrick White, who made a single 3-pointer, was the only player other than Tatum who scored more than 2 points in the first. … Adebayo and Butler each grabbed five rebounds in the first quarter. … Lowry and Grant Williams did a little shoving after Williams fouled Adebayo with nine minutes left in the second quarter, with no repercussions.
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MIA leads 2-0
Game Information
- Referees:
- James Williams
- Zach Zarba
- Tyler Ford
2024-25 Southeast Standings
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Orlando | 11 | 7 | .611 | - | W2 |
Miami | 6 | 7 | .462 | 2.5 | W1 |
Atlanta | 7 | 10 | .412 | 3.5 | L2 |
Charlotte | 6 | 10 | .375 | 4 | L1 |
Washington | 2 | 12 | .143 | 7 | L10 |
2024-25 Atlantic Standings
Team | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Boston | 14 | 3 | .824 | - | W5 |
New York | 9 | 7 | .563 | 4.5 | L1 |
Brooklyn | 6 | 10 | .375 | 7.5 | L1 |
Toronto | 4 | 12 | .250 | 9.5 | W2 |
Philadelphia | 3 | 12 | .200 | 10 | W1 |