JIMMY Butler scored 42 points as the visiting Miami Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals with a 128-126 overtime victory over the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
Butler followed up his franchise-playoff-record, 56-point performance in Game 4 by helping the eighth-seeded Heat overcome a 16-point, fourth-quarter deficit with 12 straight points during one stretch before converting an alley-oop in the final second to force overtime.
In the extra session, Miami’s Gabe Vincent misfired on a 3-point attempt with nine seconds to play with the Heat up by two, but Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen did not get off a shot before time expired. Bam Adebayo collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Heat, who will face the fifth-seeded New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Giannis Antetokounmpo recorded 38 points and 20 rebounds and Khris Middleton pumped in 33 points for the Bucks.
In other games, it was the Knicks 106, Cavs 95; Grizzlies 116, Lakers 99; and Warriors 123, Kings 116.
Knicks 106, Cavs 95
Jalen Brunson scored 23 points and New York advanced past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2013, closing out host Cleveland with a victory in Game 5 of an Eastern Conference series.
Fifth-seeded New York never trailed and built an advantage of as many as 18 points, flexing its defensive muscle and dominance on the glass. The Knicks held the Cavaliers to fewer than 100 points for the fourth time in the series, and New York won all those games. New York enjoyed a 48-30 rebounding edge with Mitchell Robinson pulling down 18 boards, 11 of them on the offensive end. The Knicks posted an overwhelming 20-3 advantage in second-chance points.
The Cavaliers pulled to within seven with 73 seconds remaining when Donovan Mitchell knocked down a 3-pointer, part of his game-high 28 points. However, Immanuel Quickley sank four consecutive free throws to effectively put the game– and series– away. Darius Garland added 21 points for Cleveland.
