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Jimmy Butler led the Miami Heat to a 116-104 win over Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. After a close game for three-quarters of the way, the Heat pulled away in the fourth period. Miami’s 38-27 advantage in the final frame allowed Butler and his teammates to escape with the victory.
The reigning Eastern Conference Finals MVP didn’t shoot well, hitting 5-of-12 shots, including 1-3 from deep. He was, however, perfect from the free-throw line, going 6-for-6 and contributed in other areas of the game. Butler added 17 points, 11 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and one block without a single turnover.
Jimmy Butler’s 12th triple-double extended his lead in that category in Miami Heat history. He now has three more than LeBron James and twice as many as teammate Bam Adebayo’s total with the franchise.
NBA fans on X, formerly Twitter, promptly reacted to Butler’s performance and career achievement:
“Giannis Daddy”
The Giannis Antetokounmpo reference is a shot at the Milwaukee Bucks superstar by a likely fan of Miami. Last season, Jimmy Butler led the eighth-seeded Heat to a stunning upset of Antetokounmpo and the top-ranked Milwaukee Bucks. Behind Butler, the South Beach team became the first play-in team to reach the NBA Finals.
The Heat needed everything that “Jimmy Buckets” could give them on Wednesday night. The young San Antonio Spurs stubbornly kept within striking distance until Miami’s fourth-quarter flurry pushed the lead to 19 points. Miami’s poise, composure and experience were arguably the biggest differences in two games against the Spurs this season.
Jimmy Butler and Giannis Antetokounmpo could meet in the playoffs again this season
After the win against the San Antonio Spurs, the Miami Heat improved their record to 28-24 for seventh place in the Eastern Conference. They are chasing the Indiana Pacers (29-23) for sixth place and a guaranteed playoff berth.
If Miami can manage to claim that spot in the playoffs and Milwaukee remains in third place, they will have a rematch in the playoffs. It would be a mouthwatering duel with several key subplots. The Bucks would be looking for revenge while the Heat would try to prove last season’s win was no fluke.
Jimmy Butler also asked the NBA to look into the Bucks’ acquisition of Damian Lillard, who many thought was going to South Beach. There will be no shortage of plot twists if they have another shot at each other in the postseason.
Anything can happen with roughly two months of the regular season still to be played. If they meet in the playoffs, fans will undoubtedly be tuning in to catch the action regardless of what round they face each other.
