BBNBA: Bam Adebayo's near triple-double gives Heat 2-0 lead in ECF

Grant Williams poking the bear that is Jimmy Butler was the major headline from Friday night’s Eastern Conference Finals, but tucked away in the No. 8 Miami Heat’s impressive 111-105 Game 2 win over the No. 2 Boston Celtics was a clutch performance from former Kentucky big man Bam Adebayo.

Adebayo finished his night with a stellar stat line consisting of 22 points, 17 rebounds, and nine assists (with just one turnover) in 38 minutes for the Heat. The two-time All-Star shot 7-17 from the field while defending at a high level on the other end. His biggest moment of the night was a ferocious dunk off an offensive rebound with 55 seconds left that gave Miami a five-point lead.

Another double-double (and near triple-double) for Adebayo moved him into second all-time in Miami playoff history with 23, one ahead of Dwyane Wade’s 22. He now trails just LeBron James (31) for the most double-doubles in franchise history.

But back to former Tennessee Volunteer Grant Williams, who got into a forehead clash with Jimmy Butler at the worst possible time. The score was 96-87 with 6:22 left in the fourth quarter in favor of Boston once Williams and Butler (literally) went head-to-head. But the bear had been poked, and the Heat — fueled by Butler — powered a comeback down the stretch that gave them a huge 2-0 series lead with the series shifting to Miami for Games 3 and 4.

Jimmy Butler and Grant Williams getting in each other's faces pic.twitter.com/LdME6wCNOb

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) May 20, 2023

“Yes it did,” Butler said when asked if Williams energized him with trash talk. “But that’s just competition at its finest. He hit a big shot and started talking to me. But I like that. It’s just competition. It pushes that will to win. It makes me smile. … I just don’t know if I was the best person to talk to.”

Butler finished his night with 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists for Miami. All nine of his fourth-quarter points came during the Heat’s game-deciding 23-9 run, which got rolling right when Williams and Butler got into it. Game 3 is set for Sunday night in Miami at 8:30 p.m. EST on TNT.

5/19/23 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	111-105 W @ BOS	22	7-17	17	9	0	0	1	14	38
Tyler Herro (MIA)	111-105 W @ BOS	DNP-Hand	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA

Western Conference Finals
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