Heat use big fourth quarter to take a 3-0 series lead over Bucks
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. » Jimmy Butler sent the ball out to Jae Crowder, then started celebrating before his teammate even took the shot. He knew what was about to happen.
The Miami Heat did it again — and have the Milwaukee Bucks, the No. 1 overall seed in the NBA playoffs, on the brink of leaving the bubble weeks earlier than they anticipated.
Butler scored 17 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter, the Heat outscored the Bucks 40-13 in those final 12 minutes — the biggest fourthquarter margin in NBA playoff history — and topped Milwaukee 115-100 to take a 3-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
“No, I’m not surprised,” Butler said. “I think everybody else in the world might be. But not us here . ... ”
No team in NBA history has ever won after trailing 3-0.
“It can be us,” reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo said. “It can definitely be us.”
Bam Adebayo had 20 points and 16 rebounds, and Crowder had 17 points to help the Heat. Brook Lopez scored 22 points for Milwaukee, which got 21 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists from Antetokounmpo — who twisted an ankle in the first quarter and appeared to labor at times. He said he was fine afterward.
Harrell wins Sixth Man Award
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLA. » Montrezl Harrell won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award, keeping the honor for the league’s top reserve with the Clippers for the third straight season.
Harrell ended the two-year run of teammate Lou Williams and gave the Clippers four winners in the last five years.
Harrell received 58 first-place votes from a panel of 100 sports writers and broadcasters, earning 397 points. Dennis Schroder of Oklahoma City was second with 35 first-place votes and 328 points, while Williams got the other seven first-place votes and 127 points.
Woodson returns to Knicks
Mike Woodson, the only Knicks coach to win a playoff series in the last two decades and the last one to even reach the postseason, is coming back to New York as an assistant on Tom Thibodeau’s staff.
Woodson was one of the assistant coaches announced Friday by the Knicks, who hired Thibodeau as their coach in July.