Jimmy Butler had 35 points and 11 assists and Miami have capitalised on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early exit to beat Milwaukee 130-117 in an Eastern Conference playoffs opener featuring two notable injuries.
The top-seeded Bucks lost Antetokounmpo to a lower back injury early in the second quarter, while the Heat’s Tyler Herro broke his right hand later in the period on Sunday.
No.8 seed Miami had built a 68-55 halftime advantage before Herro’s departure and stayed ahead by shooting 15-of-25 from three-point range, compared to the Bucks’ 11-of-45.
Antetokounmpo was driving to the basket when he was fouled by Kevin Love and landed hard on his back. The two-time MVP got up slowly, stayed in the game to take his free throws and then headed to the locker room.
The Greek returned in the second quarter, but was ruled out for the rest of the game shortly after. Antetokounmpo ended up with six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.
Bam Adebayo had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for Miami, while Love had 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Khris Middleton led hosts Milwaukee with 33 points and nine rebounds. Bobby Portis had 21 points, Jrue Holiday added 16 points and 16 assists and Aussie Joe Ingles scored nine points on three of his seven attempts from outside.
Earlier in Memphis, Rui Hachimura had a career-best playoff scoring performance with 29 points and LeBron James added 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Los Angeles Lakers beat Memphis 128-112 in the opening game of their Western Conference series.
Austin Reaves added 23 points, including nine straight in the closing minutes as the Lakers pulled away. Anthony Davis had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and D’Angelo Russell finished with 19 points.
“Rui was huge. His skillset is crazy,” Reaves said.
“For us to get him with all the talent we have, it just brings another aspect to our team.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 31 points, Desmond Bane scored 22 and Ja Morant had 18 before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injured right hand.
“I’m in a good bit of pain,” Morant told reporters afterwards.
Davis also left the court late in the second period with an injury to his right arm but returned to start the second half.
Los Angeles wrested home-court advantage from the No.2-seeded Grizzlies, who had the NBA’s best home record at 35-6.
It was Hachimura from Japan who provided LA with some breathing room in the third quarter, connecting on all four of his three-point attempts. Hachimura’s only previous playoff experience was in 2021 with Washington. The Lakers acquired him from the Wizards in a mid-season trade.
The seventh-seeded Lakers, who scored a six-point Play-In win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, missed the playoffs in 2022 and were eliminated in the first round by the Phoenix Suns a year earlier.
Source: AAP
