Butler, with triple double, avoids elimination of Miami Heat
Lake Buena Vista, United States, Oct 9 (efe-epa).- Forward Jimmy Butler contributed a triple-double of 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, as the Miami Heat won Friday by 111-108 against Los Angeles Lakers in the fifth game of the NBA Finals.
The victory kept the Heat alive by getting the second of the series that remains in favor of the Lakers 3-2 and the sixth game will be played Sunday in the Walt Disney World recreational complex, in Orlando, Florida.
The Miami team saw guard Danny Green’s triple attempt in the final seconds hit the rim and although the offensive rebound was captured by power forward Markieff Morris, then he did not find center Anthony Davis in the paint and sent the ball out.
The Heat, with the partial 109-108, forced the personnel that the Lakers made to rookie guard Tyler Herro and with 1.6 seconds left he was sentenced with two free throws.
Forward Duncan Robinson regained his best wrist touch, especially on shots from outside the perimeter, and contributed 26 points, including seven 3-pointers from 13 attempts, which left him as the second leading scorer.
The Heat ended the game with a roster of seven players who had double-digit numbers.
Backup point guard rookie Kendrick Nunn had 14 points, center Bam Adebayo (13), Herro (12) and forward Jae Crowder (11).
While the Lakers had star forward LeBron James as their leader in all facets of the game by getting a double-double of 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, which this time were not enough to decide the victory.
James surpassed Karl Malone for second place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, including regular season and playoff games, having played his 259th game, tied with Derek Fisher for the most in history. playoffs.
Davis also maintained his status as a key player for the Lakers with a contribution of a double-double of 28 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, three recoveries and three blocks.
But he failed, like Morris, in the decisive play that lost the last ball that prevented them from having had a chance to score the basket from the provisional advantage.
Guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope reached 16 points and was the player who with six minutes to go, scored five consecutive points that allowed the Lakers to get ahead on the scoreboard (97-96) without this time being able to keep it.
The decision to change the traditional uniforms for the one dedicated to the memory of Kobe Bryatn didn’t help the Lakers achieve the triumph they still need to be proclaimed NBA champions.
Until now, the “Mamba” uniform had given them luck with a perfect 4-0 record, which they no longer have after a loss to the Heat that was full of drama and suspense. Bryant, was the last Lakers figure to win the NBA title in 2010.
With a back-to-back exchange leading the score, in the closing minutes, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra used his last time out before the next possession, only to give Butler a couple of minutes to rest.
He was the player he needed to have on the court and Butler did not disappoint him by making inroads and with 16.8 seconds remaining he scored to make it 109-108 in favor of the Heat.
The Lakers’ mission at that time could not have been simpler than to score the basket that gave them the title of champions.
They couldn’t do it. James found Green just for a high-level triple that he missed, and Herro finished him off with two free throws.
The comeback that the Lakers had achieved, they were down 93-82 at the beginning of the fourth period could not happen either and now, James, for the first time, begins to feel the pressure in the NBA Finals, where he is aware that he has no more error range.
While Butler became the sixth player in the history of the NBA Finals to have multiple triple-doubles in the same series, something that Magic Johnson and James had already achieved, both three times.
