Butler, Adebayo spark heat to G6 win over Knicks to advance to East finals

Andrew LopezESPNMay 13, 2023, 03:35 AM3 minutes of reading

Jalen Brunson commits a costly turnover as the Knicks fall to the Heat in crunch time

Jalen Brunson lost a possession with the Knicks down two points late in the fourth quarter against the Heat.

MIAMI — In the locker room following a Game 4 win, Miami Senior forward Kevin Love To reporters, the closer the game gets, the Heat will know who to go to — Jimmy Butler And Pam Adebayo. It was those two players who led the Heat to the Eastern Conference Finals for the second consecutive season in Game 6 on Friday night.

Butler had 24 points and eight rebounds, while Adebayo had 23 points and nine boards to lead the Heat. New York Knicks 96-92 To win the series 4-2.

Butler made a pair of free throws with 14.4 seconds left to ice the game.

With the win, the Heat became just the second No. 8 seed in NBA history to reach the conference finals. The only team to accomplish this was the 1998-99 Knicks, who eventually reached the NBA Finals that season.

For the Knicks, that means they haven’t reached a conference final since 2000. Other teams in the NBA have had longer stretches without reaching the conference finals. Washington Wizards (1979) and The Charlotte Hornets (not at all).

It was the Heat’s seventh conference final appearance under coach Erik Spoelstra, who took over the team in 2008-09.

New York led 31-17 but the Heat held the Knicks scoreless over the final 2:40 of the first quarter. The Knicks opened the second quarter with a 3-pointer Jalen BrunsonThe Heat responded with a 13-2 run to take the lead Pam Adebayo A timeout from coach Tom Thibodeau ended Brunson’s brief time on the bench.

Miami led 51-50 at halftime and never trailed in the second half.

When the heat is defeated Milwaukee Bucks They trailed by 16 to win their first-round series in Game 5. It made Miami just the second team in the last 25 years to win multiple series in a single season. Sports, joins in 2019 Portland Trail BlazersAccording to ESPN Stats and Information Research.

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