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.
Knicks Eliminate Cavs
The New York Knicks won their first playoff series since 2013, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 106-95 in Game 5 of their Eastern Conference First Round matchup. The No. 5 seed Knicks move on to the conference semifinals, where they will face the No. 8 seed Miami Heat.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson scored a team-high 23 points, his fifth straight 20-point game. Brunson is just the second guard in franchise history to score at least 20 points in each of his first five games of a postseason, joining Dick Barnett (1971).
Teammate RJ Barrett scored 21 points, shooting 7-13 from the field and 5-6 from the free throw line. After struggling in Games 1 and 2, Barrett averaged 22.0 PPG with a field goal percentage of 55.8% over the final three games of the series.
Knicks center Mitchell Robinson scored 13 points on 6-9 shooting from the field, adding game highs of 18 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals (tied). Mitchell recorded 11 offensive boards, the most such rebounds by a Knick in a playoff game since Patrick Ewing on June 5, 1994.
The Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell scored a game-high 28 points in the loss, adding seven rebounds and a team-high five assists. Mitchell shot just 11-26 from the field, including 3-12 from 3-point range. Mitchell shot a combined 16-44 from the field (36.4%) in Games 4 and 5, missing 13 of his 16 attempts from 3-point range.
Backcourt mate Darius Garland scored 21 points, shooting 7-13 from the floor and making all six of his free throws. However, Garland missed five of his six 3-pointers, committed a game-high six turnovers, and fouled out late in the fourth quarter.
Road Warriors
The Golden State Warriors — one of the worst road teams in the NBA this season — picked up a huge win in Sacramento, knocking off the Kings 123-116 in Game 5 of their Western Conference First Round series. The Warriors will take a 3-2 series lead back to San Francisco for Game 6 on Friday.
The Warriors’ Stephen Curry scored a game-high 31 points and distributed a team-high assists. Curry shot 10-15 from 2-point range, but connected on just two of his 10 3-pointers.
Fellow Splash Brother Klay Thompson scored 25 points, shooting 10-19 from the field with five 3-pointers made. It’s the 35th time Thompson has made at least five 3-pointers in a playoff game, the second-most such games in NBA history behind Curry (61).
Warriors center Kevon Looney had another huge game on the boards, matching his postseason career high with 22 rebounds. Looney also handed out seven assists, giving him 56 rebounds and 22 assists over his last three games. The last player to record at least 55 rebounds and 20 assists over a three-game playoff span was Larry Bird in 1981 (May 5-9).
Looney scored just four points, making this the third time he’s recorded at least 20 rebounds and five assists while scoring fewer than five points in a playoff game. The only other players in NBA history to record even one such game are Bill Russell (April 11, 1967) and Wilt Chamberlain (April 1, 1973).
The Kings’ De’Aaron Fox scored a team-high 24 points and handed out a game-high nine assists in the loss. Fox seemed to be affected by the broken finger on his shooting hand, making just nine of his 25 attempts from the floor.
Teammate Domantas Sabonis scored 21 points on 9-15 shooting from the field, adding a team-high 10 rebounds and three steals.
Bane, Morant Lead Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies’ backcourt of Desmond Bane (33 points) and Ja Morant (31) combined for 64 points in an easy 116-99 win over the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 5 of their Western Conference First Round series. The series will shift back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Friday with the Lakers holding a 3-2 lead.
Bane shot 12-21 from the field — including 4-9 from 3-point range — and made five of his six free throws. Bane also had a team-high 10 rebounds (tied) and five assists.
Morant made 13 of his 26 shots from the floor, adding team highs of 10 rebounds (tied) and seven assists. Bane and Morant became just the second backcourt duo in NBA history to each record at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists in the same playoff game. They joined the Philadelphia 76ers’ Hal Greer and Wali Jones, who achieved the feat on April 14, 1967.
Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. recorded a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds (tying Bane and Morant for the team lead). Jackson Jr. also blocked two shots.
The Lakers’ Anthony Davis scored a team-high 31 points in the loss, making 14 of his 23 shots from the field (60.9%). Davis also hauled in a game-high 19 rebounds and recorded two blocks.
Teammate LeBron James tallied 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists but struggled from the field, making just five of his 17 attempts (including a 1-9 effort from 3-point range). James also committed a game-high five turnovers.