- Jimmy Butler posted a triple-double leading his Heat to a win over the Lakers.
- He outplayed LeBron in a direct matchup, with LBJ leaving the court 10 seconds before the end.
- Heat had the lead most of the time, but the Lakers didn’t surrender at any point.
Fantastic Jimmy Butler
The Heat forward was on fire in this one, and he stated that there was a pretty good reason for that.
“First of all, let’s not act like I’m just out here talking trash because I’m not,” Butler said after the game. “LeBron said it to me at the end of the first. That’s what happened. I just said it to him in the fourth quarter.”
What LeBron said to Jimmy was “you are in trouble,” and that fueled the Heat forward. In the end, the result is that James left the court tens seconds before the end, without congratulating the rivals, once again dividing the NBA community. Some say that his move was justified, while others think his action was disrespectful.
Butler was all over the floor in this one, pouring 40 points without a single shot for three. He as 14-for-20 from the field and missed just two of his 14 free throws, getting 13 dimes and 11 rebounds. All in all, he was the central figure on the court and the absolute hero of Miami’s victory.
In the moments when the Lakers started to gain momentum, he and Tyler Herro stopped the purple and gold, who were on the surge early in the fourth. Miami had a 14-point lead in the third, but the LAL replied to take a 91-89 lead after the start of the final period.
Herro had 17 points in this match, the same as Kelly Olynyk, who had another solid performance for the Heat in Bam Adebayo’s absence. Olynyk added 7 boards as well and three three-pointers.
James Frustrated
Even though LeBron seemed fine before the cameras, his walkaway from the court without waiting for the game to end was definitely a sign of frustration.
“Also, I don’t feel like we’re concerned. We’re not concerned. We know we can play a lot better. We have another opportunity to take a commanding lead on Tuesday.” he said after the match.
LeBron played well in this one and was on the verge of reaching a triple-double himself, but failed to do it. LBJ had 25 points, 10 rebound, and 8 assists. His productivity wasn’t a problem, but Anthony Davis’ was. The Eyebrow had 15 points and five boards, which was by far his worst performance in the playoffs.
Kyle Kuzma and Markieff Morris tried to help with 19 points each, off the bench. The two players very well, but their contribution couldn’t cover up Davis’ poor performance.
Also, Danny Green had 2 points, Caldwell-Pope 5, Rajon Rondo 5, and those guys failed to show up in tonight’s contest.
Game 4 is this Tuesday night, at 9 pm ET.
