HEAT PROCEED TO SECOND CONFERENCE FINALS IN THREE SEASONS AFTER BEATING 76ERS, THANKS TO MJIMMY BUTLER’S LEAD.
Butler had 32 points and now Miami awaits the winner of the Bucks-Celtics series.
The Miami Heat are back in the Eastern Conference Finals for the second time in three years.
Miami finished off the Philadelphia 76ers on the road Thursday night 99-90 to win the series 4-2 and advance for a chance to win the conference championship and get back to the NBA Finals.
Jimmy Butler showed up when the Heat needed him the most. In 43 minutes, Butler scored 32 points on 13-of-29 shooting with eight rebounds and four assists.
After a dagger three-pointer, all Butler could say is “wow.”
He was 2-of-6 from three-point range.
Max Strus also came up big for the Heat for the second consecutive game. He was 40% from three-point range and finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in the win. P.J. Tucker contributed with 12 points and Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro had 10 points each.
Miami out-rebounded Philadelphia 49-35 and held the 76ers to 41% shooting. Philadelphia only managed to take seven foul shots the entire game. Miami only had 11.
Joel Embiid, with a fractured orbital bone and torn ligament in his right thumb, hit the deck multiple times during the game. Playing through the pain, his valiant effort to try to extend the series one more game wasn’t enough.
Embiid finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds. He was 7—for-24 from the floor. Tyreese Maxey also had 20 points on 9-of-22 shooting.
Shake Milton had 15 points in expanded minutes. He came in when Danny Green exited the game in the first half with a knee injury. Green never returned to the game.
Miami will have a chance to get to their second NBA Finals in two seasons. The team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the bubble Finals in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
Philadelphia hasn’t made a conference finals since 2001. The team has been eliminated in the first round or the conference semifinals for the fifth consecutive season.
Miami awaits the winner of the series between the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics. The Bucks have a 3-2 series lead.
