NBA Game Notes (April 26, 2023)

Here are the NBA game notes for games that were played on April 26, 2023.

Heat Rally, Stun Bucks

The Miami Heat became just the sixth No. 8 seed in NBA history to defeat a No. 1 seed, rallying to stun the Milwaukee Bucks 128-126 in overtime in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round series. The Heat will square off against the No. 5 seed New York Knicks in the conference semifinals.

The Heat trailed by 16 points entering the fourth quarter, the largest such deficit overcome in a series-clinching win in NBA history. They surpassed the 15-point deficit the Chicago Bulls overcame to defeat the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 6 of the 1992 NBA Finals.

The Heat’s Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 42 points on 17-33 shooting from the field. Butler became the first player in franchise history to record back-to-back 40-points games in the playoffs.

Butler scored a total of 98 points in Games 4 and 5. Only three players in NBA history have scored more points over a two-game postseason span (a total of five spans):

• 112 — Michael Jordan (April 17 & 20, 1986)

• 105 — Jordan (April 28 & May 5, 1988)

• 101 — Jerry West (April 3 & 5, 1965)

• 99 — Elgin Baylor (April 11 & 14, 1962)

• 99 — Jordan (June 13 & 16, 1993)

Butler now has eight career 40-point playoff games with the Heat, breaking a tie with Dwyane Wade for the most such games in franchise history:

• 8 — Jimmy Butler

• 7 — Dwyane Wade

• 3 — LeBron James

Heat center Bam Adebayo recorded a triple-double, compiling 20 points, 10 rebounds, and a game-high 10 assists. Adebayo is just the third player in franchise history to record a triple-double in a playoff game, joining LeBron James (five times) and Jimmy Butler (three times).

Kevin Love recorded a double-double for the Heat, scoring 15 points and grabbing a team-high 12 rebounds. Love attempted nothing but 3-pointers, hitting five of his 11 long-range shots.

Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra picked up his 100th career playoff win, becoming the sixth coach in NBA history to reach that mark:

• 229 — Phil Jackson

• 171 — Pat Riley

• 170 — Gregg Popovich

• 108 — Doc Rivers

• 100 — Larry Brown

• 100 — Erik Spoelstra

The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo scored a team-high 38 points and hauled in a game-high 20 rebounds in the loss. Antetokounmpo shot 14-27 from the field but struggled mightily from the foul line, making just 10 of his 23 attempts.

It’s the 49th time in NBA history a player has attempted at least 20 field goals and 20 free throws in a playoff game. In only four of those cases did the player shoot better than 50% from the field and less than 50% from the free throw line:

• Wilt Chamberlain (April 12, 1966)

• Shaquille O’Neal (May 20, 2000)

• O’Neal (June 6, 2001)

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (April 26, 2023)

Teammate Khris Middleton produced 33 points, six rebounds, and assists. Middleton shot 10-24 from the floor — including 4-10 from 3-point range — and hit all nine of his free throws.