Butler returns, serves up win with clutch play in OT
Apparently the gulf between the Heat and Celtics isn’t nearly as wide as the standings would suggest.
After Jaylen Brown forced overtime with a miraculous 30-foot bank shot in the final seconds of regulation, the
Heat regained the edge that fueled its second-half comeback and beat the Celtics 120-116 in a delightfully entertaining game on Friday to split their two games in Boston this week.
This much appears clear: The margin between the teams isn’t as big as the seven games that separate the Celtics (18-5) and Heat (11-12) in the standings.
After competing toe to toe with Boston for 3 1⁄2 quarters without Jimmy Butler on Wednesday, the Heat — with Butler sealing — rallied from
13 down to win for the second time on this three-game road trip.
Down 83-70 in the third, the Heat unleashed a 26-8 run to surge ahead 96-91 with 7:16
left.
Jayson Tatum then missed a difficult driving shot and Butler hit an 11-foot jumper to put Miami ahead 108-105 in the final minute of regulation. A
Tatum dunk trimmed the Heat’s lead to 108-107 with 29 seconds to go.
But then Butler made it a three-point game with a 20-footer with 5.1 seconds left. And then Brown ruined everything with his miraculous three-pointer, forcing overtime.
After Butler put the Heat ahead with a 12-foot jumper with less than two minutes remaining overtime, Brown missed a jumper, and Tyler Herro was called for traveling, before two Brown free throws tied it.
But Bam Adebayo (28 points) then put the Heat ahead with two free throws with 40 seconds to go. Tatum then missed a three with 32 seconds to go, and Butler (25 points, 15 rebounds) then hit a 17-footer to seal it with nine seconds remaining.