Max Strus and Jimmy Butler scored 31 points apiece and the Miami Heat advanced to the playoffs thanks to a late comeback to beat the Chicago Bulls 102-91 on Friday in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Tyler Herro added 12 points and Bam Adebayo grabbed 17 rebounds for Miami, which trailed by six points midway through the fourth quarter. Butler scored while being fouled with 2:17 remaining, giving the Heat the lead for good. A minute later, he found Strus, who hit his seventh 3-pointer of the night, to stretch the lead to five points.
Strus closed the count with three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt with 40 seconds remaining.
The victory gave Miami the eighth-seeded spot in the East, and a ticket to face the Milwaukee Bucks, the NBA’s best team in the regular season, in the first round of the postseason. That series starts on Sunday.
Heat eliminates the Bulls and is in the NBA playoffs! The Miami team beat the Chicago team 102-91 and will face the Bucks in the postseason. Jimmy Butler recorded 31 points. The story of the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead of the NBA Play-In Don’t miss any reaction from Fernando Tirado and Miguel Ángel Briseño at the NBA Watch Party.
