Butler had nine rebounds and six assists as well.
The Miami Heat took control of their NBA playoffs series against the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday night with a beatdown at the FTX Arena 120-85.
Miami shot an incredible 53.6% from the floor and seven players were in double figures in scoring.
Jimmy Butler led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Max Strus gave Miami 19 points and was 4-for-10 from three-point range. He added 10 rebounds as well.
Gabe Vincent had 15 points, Bam Adebayo had 12 points and P.J. Tucker had 10 points. Victor Oladipo added 13 points with Tyler Herro’s 10 points off the bench.
Miami also out-rebounded Philadelphia 46-36.
The 76ers did not look themselves the entire night. Joel Embiid, who is coming into the game wearing a mask while he deals with an orbital bone fracture and a torn ligament in his right thumb, was giving his best effort diving into the stands chasing after loose balls but came up banged up a few times.
At one point, Embiid had the ball accidentally pushed into his face and he went down writhing in pain for a few minutes. Coach Doc Rivers, looking for a foul, was given a technical foul for arguing with the officials.
Embiid had a team-high 17 points, five rebounds and two assists. He was -29 on the floor.
James Harden and Tobias Harris were the only other players in double figures for the 76ers. Harden finished with 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. Harris had 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting with three rebounds.
The Heat lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 set for Philadelphia on Thursday night. Miami has suffered three losses in the playoffs as a whole. Each of the losses have come on the road.
With a win, Miami could be back in the Eastern Conference finals for the second time in three years. The winner of the series plays the winner of the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks series. The Bucks are the defending NBA champions and swept the Heat in the first round last season.
