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Heat demolish Warriors in Jimmy Butler's homecoming to Miami
Golden State Warriors forward Jimmy Butler III (10) looks on against the Miami Heat during the second quarter at Kaseya Center. Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Heat demolish Warriors in Jimmy Butler's homecoming to Miami

Before they traded him to the Golden State Warriors, the Miami Heat were frustrated by Jimmy Butler's lackadaisical play and disinterest in scoring. They got to see that again in a blowout win on Tuesday night.

LeBron James announced he was "taking his talents to South Beach" when he signed with the Miami Heat in 2010. The Warriors' starters forgot to take any talent at all to South Beach, with each member of the starting lineup scoring exactly two points in the first half. That's the first time a team hasn't had at least one scorer put up three first-half points in over 13 years.

That's a big reason the Warriors never led in Miami. They trailed by six after one quarter, and by 19 at halftime, thanks to an incredible Tyler Herro buzzer-beater.

Butler finished with 11 points on 5-for-12 shooting, with six rebounds and two assists. Playing without Stephen Curry, Golden State's starters shot 2-for-20 from three-point range on their way to a 112-86 loss. 

Moses Moody missed all nine of his three-pointers, with former teammate Andrew Wiggins swatting one of them.

Wiggins' reunion with the Warriors didn't have as much hype as the Butler reunion with the Heat. He scored only 10 points but blocked three shots.

The Heat were the exact opposite when it came to outside shooting, making 17 of their 25 three-point attempts. The starters shot 13-for-19, with one-time Warrior Alec Burks going 5-for-7 and Herro going 4-for-4. The Heat players rarely missed, even when they lost the ball on the way to the hoop.

Ultimately the game wasn't really close enough to lead to real bitterness between Butler and his old team, or the fans. With "Jimmy Buckets" producing very few buckets, the much-hyped game was decided well before the final moments. In fact, the signature image wasn't yelling fans, or mean signs.

It was a hug between Curry and Wiggins. Not all NBA divorces have to end in acrimony.

Sean Keane

Sean Keane is a sportswriter and a comedian based in Oakland, California, with experience covering the NBA, MLB, NFL and Ice Cube’s three-on-three basketball league, The Big 3. He’s written for Comedy Central’s “Another Period,” ESPN the Magazine, and Audible. com

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