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.
Bam was everywhere for the @MiamiHEAT tonight:
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 26, 2025
27 PTS
8 REB
9-18 FG
Miami rout Golden State in Jimmy's return pic.twitter.com/5rCJHrUfpO
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.
Tyler Herro side-steps and beats the halftime buzzer from 3!
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2025
What a tough shot. pic.twitter.com/4jyvz0Wtjo
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.
Bam triple.
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2025
Wiggins rejection.
Bam euro-step lay.
What a sequence for the @MiamiHEAT on TNT ‼️ pic.twitter.com/xBm326Ssxg
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.
Look at the ground Andrew Wiggins covered on this close-out block
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2025
It's his 3rd rejection of the game as he faces his former team for the first time! pic.twitter.com/fkwWIYPafh
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.
Kel'el Ware with an incredible finish after losing the ball mid-air pic.twitter.com/4AOaEfEKNw
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2025
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.
STEPH x WIGGINS https://t.co/joJ350Yvb3 pic.twitter.com/XpCzI0WYCW
— NBA (@NBA) March 26, 2025
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