Jimmy Butler, Heat defeat Celtics, 111-103, to force Game 7 in Eastern Conference Finals
On Friday night, the Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics, 111-103, in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, forcing a Game 7.
With its season on the line, Miami bounced back from an ugly 93-80 loss in Game 5 with a strong effort led by Jimmy Butler in Game 6.
Butler finished the night with a game-high 47 points, shooting 55.2% (16-of-29) from the field and 50% (4-of-8) from three-point range. He added nine rebounds, eight assists, four steals and a block in the victory.
Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics, finishing with 30 points, shooting 75% (9-of-12) from the field and 57.1% (4-of-7) from three.
The Heat took a 29-22 advantage in the first quarter, led by Butler, who had 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals in the opening stanza Friday night.
The Celtics held Butler to seven second-quarter points, outscoring the Heat 24-19 in the quarter to trail by just a basket, 48-46, at halftime.
Miami's offense woke up to start the second half, scoring 34 third-quarter points to increase its lead to seven ahead of the fourth quarter, 82-75.
In the fourth quarter, the Celtics continued to hand around, eventually tying the game at 94-94 with just over five minutes left.
With the Heat up 105-101, Butler hit a turnaround jump shot with 43.9 seconds left to seal the Game 6 victory for Miami.
The Heat will host the Celtics for Game 7 on Sunday at 8:30 p.m. ET.
The winner will move to the NBA Finals to face the Golden State Warriors. On Thursday, the Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks Warriors defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win the Western Conference Finals series.
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