NBA Twitter erupts as Jimmy Butler's 56 powers Heat past Bucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Jimmy. Butler.
The Heat forward put together one of the greatest individual performances in NBA playoff history on Monday night to put No. 8-seeded Miami on the brink of an unbelievable first-round upset.
A franchise playoff record 56 points from Butler led a 119-114 comeback win over the No. 1 Milwaukee Bucks in Miami, pushing the Heat's series lead to 3-1 over the 2021 NBA champions.
Butler checked into the game at the 8:11 mark of the fourth quarter with the Heat trailing 98-87. He then powered a 29-11 run with 18 points as Miami stunningly seized control of the game with a seven-point lead inside the final minute.
Sports
Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins, Celtics and more
Butler almost single-handedly outscored the Bucks in the fourth quarter (25-21). His 56 points, on 19-for-28 shooting, are tied for the fourth-most in NBA playoff history behind Michael Jordan's 63, Elgin Baylor's 61 and Donovan Mitchell's 57. And he did it against the No. 1 overall seed.
The mesmerizing performance had NBA Twitter in awe:
They don't call him Jimmy Buckets for nothing.