Jimmy Butler shoots for 56 while Heat stuns Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bucks to bring the No. 1 to the brink of elimination

Jimmy Buckets is enabled.

Jimmy Butler delivered an impressive 56-point performance for the Miami Heat on Monday, leading an amazing rally past the Milwaukee Bucks and bringing the Eastern Conference No. 1 to the brink of elimination.

He opened the game with a 22-point fourth quarter that included 20 direct heat points. He finished the run by driving a 12-point rally into the fourth quarter of a heat hole to seal a 119-114 victory in Miami.

The win sealed a 3-1 lead for the eighth-place Heat over a team that finished the Bucks with the best regular-season record in the NBA. They achieved the win when Giannis Antetokounmpo returned to the ground after missing more than 2 games with a back injury.

Antetokounmpo looked no worse than an injury as he scored a hat-trick and displayed a form that saw him become a two-time league MVP. It wasn’t enough to beat a determined Butler, who continued to carry the Heat on his back, this time with the tune of a career high, and propelled the Heat into the playoffs.

Antetokounmpo set the tone early, scoring seven of Milwaukee’s first 10 points as the Bucks took a 10-3 lead. But Butler replied emphatically. The six-time All-Star, trailing 17-8 in the Heat, challenged Antetokounmpo head-on, dipping against the all-defensive teammate’s five-pointer midway through the first quarter.

The dunk started Butler’s 20-point streak as he took first place with 22 of Miami’s 28 points on a 9-of-10 shooting from the field, including his own 3-point try.

But the Heat team is finished 25th in the league in the offensive rating He played without Victor Oladipo and second-top scorer Tyler Hero, who were out through injury. They struggled to back up the six-time All-Star team against them Fourth league defense.

The Bucks led by five dollars after the first quarter, despite Butler’s exploits. In the first half they led 57:50. Butler settled down in the second with two points in the segment. Two-time All-Star Bam Adebayo managed just 2 points from 1-of-4 in the entire half from the field. Only six Heat players scored in the first half

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Milwaukee extended their lead to 89-78 after three and looked set to sail for a crucial win that would level the series 2-2. But Butler has other ideas.

Butler started the fourth quarter off the bench to rest for the closing stages. He came back in the game at 8-11 and Milwaukee led 98-87. From there he would score 21 of his 56 points.

This is an urgent story that will be updated.