Jimmy Butler scored 47 points and added nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals to lead the Miami Heat to a 111-103 win over the host Boston Celtics on Friday night, tying the Eastern Conference finals at three games apiece.
Butler had only scored 27 points in the previous three games before exploding in Game 6, which was a must-win situation. He hit 16 of 29 field-goal tries, including 4 of 8 from 3-point range, and all 11 free-throw attempts to score 40 points for the second time in this series and fourth time in the postseason.
Before fouling out, Kyle Lowry had 18 points and 10 assists for the Heat. P.J. Tucker contributed 11 points to Max Strus’ 13 points.
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For Boston, Jayson Tatum had 30 points and nine rebounds, Derrick White had 22 points, and Jaylen Brown had 20. For the Celtics, Marcus Smart scored 14 points and Robert Williams III added 12.
Game 7 will be place in Miami on Sunday night.
With 2:06 remaining, Butler converted a tiebreaking three-point play to give Miami a 102-99 advantage. Tucker hit three of four free throws in a 20-second period to extend the lead to six points with 1:25 remaining.
Butler’s jumper with 43.9 seconds left extended the Heat’s advantage to six points, and the Heat won the game.
Tyler Herro (groyne) has missed his third game in a row. This season, Herro was named NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
The Heat made 46.2 percent of their shots from the field, including 15 of 35 from beyond the arc. Miami made 24 of 25 free throw attempts.
Boston made 44.4 percent of its shots and 11 of 33 from three-point range. The Celtics made 28 of 31 free throw attempts.
With 5:31 remaining in the third quarter, Miami went on a 13-2 run to take a 70-58 lead. To cap the run, Victor Oladipo and Strus hit back-to-back 3-pointers.
With 2:08 remaining, the Heat extended their lead to 13 points on two free throws by Oladipo, and they settled for an 82-75 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
With 5:31 left, Boston’s Al Horford hit a three to tie the game at 94. With 4:43 left, White scored a 3-pointer to give Boston a 97-94 lead before the Heat took control of the final minutes.
Butler led Miami to a 48-46 halftime lead with 21 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. For the Celtics, Tatum and Brown each scored 18 points in the first half.
Sources: Leaderpost.com