Butler FTs push Heat to 2-0 lead

Jimmy Butler made two free throws with no time remaining and the Heat wasted a six-point lead in the final seconds yet found a way to beat the Bucks 116-114 on Wednesday night in Lake Buena Vista, Florida for a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.

Butler rattled in the first, which was the only one that mattered, then made the second for the final margin. He got fouled by the Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo with about a tenth of a second left on a jump shot from the left corner.

Referees sent Butler to the line, with no one else on the lane, as some Heat teammates knelt at midcourt.

And just like that, the Heat became the first No. 5 seed in NBA history to take a 2-0 series lead over a No. 1 seed.

Goran Dragic scored 23 points, Tyler Herro added 17 off the bench and Jae Crowder had 16 for the Heat.

Bam Adebayo scored 15 points, Butler and Duncan Robinson each had 13 and Kelly Olynyk added 11 for the Heat — who are 6-0 in this postseason.

Antetokounmpo had 29 points and 14 rebounds for the Bucks, who were down by six with 27 seconds left and tied it. Khris Middleton scored 23 points for the Bucks, the last three of those coming when Dragic was called for fouling him with 4.3 seconds left.

The Bucks got 16 apiece from Brook Lopez and Eric Bledsoe and 14 from George Hill.

The Heat’s lead was 90-86 entering the fourth — and the Bucks had the lead back on the first possession of the final quarter.

Middleton was fouled on a 3-point try, made the first two free throws and the rebound of the third was controlled by the Bucks. Kyle Korver made a 3-pointer off that rebound to cap a five-point possession for the Bucks, who had the lead again for the first time since 14-13.

The Heat were undeterred. They scored 13 of the next 15 points to not only reclaim the lead, but push it to 103-93 on a 3-pointer by Crowder with 7:50 left.

Milwaukee shot 21 free throws in the first half to the Heat’s 11 — but oddly, it was the Bucks who had players in foul trouble at the break.

Middleton got his third foul only 26 seconds into the second quarter and Antetokounmpo was whistled for his third with 4:17 left in the half. Both played for a bit more in the quarter, then were pulled with 1:07 left with the Bucks no longer willing to risk either of them getting a fourth so early.

The free throws were a big factor: the Heat shot 55% in the half and made nine 3s, but the lead was just 66-60 at intermission.

Fines for Morris, Doncic: Marcus Morris of the Clippers was fined $35,000 by the league for his flagrant foul on Luka Doncic of the Mavericks, who was penalized $15,000 for throwing the ball at a referee.

Both fines stemmed from actions in Game 6 of a first-round playoff series, which the Clippers won to eliminate the Mavs.