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NBA Game Notes (April 26, 2023)
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NBA Game Notes (April 26, 2023)

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

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Justin Kubatko
Apr 27, 2023
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NBA Game Notes (April 26, 2023)
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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.

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