BBNBA: Heat grab 2-0 lead, Devin Booker injured in loss
The opening round of the NBA Playoffs is officially underway, and things are getting interesting out West. The top three seeds in the tournament were all in action Tuesday night, as the Suns and Heat sought to build commanding 2-0 leads while the Grizzlies looked to bounce back from their Game 1 upset loss to the Timberwolves. And as usual, a handful of former ‘Cats were right in the thick of it all.
Monday’s Results:
(1) Heat 115 – (8) Hawks 105 (MIA leads series 2-0)
(2) Grizzlies 124 – (7) Timberwolves 96 (series tied 1-1)
(8) Pelicans 125 – (1) Suns 114 (series tied 1-1)
Butler’s 45 propels Heat to 2-0 series advantage
The Miami Heat never forgot getting swept out of the 2021 Playoffs. Miami’s leading scorer Jimmy Butler was a relative non-factor in that series against the Bucks, failing to reach 20 points once in the four games. Now, it seems he’s out for revenge. His victim is the Atlanta Hawks.
Butler dropped a cool 45 points on Tuesday night, leading the Heat to a comfortable 10-point win and an even more comfortable 2-0 lead in the series. He was a man on a mission down the stretch, going on a personal 7-0 run late in the fourth to put the game away.
With Butler en fuego, there weren’t as many shots to go around for the Heat’s ensemble cast — namely, Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro. But they both contributed to the win in their own fashion. Adebayo struggled with foul trouble most of the night, finishing with just nine points and four rebounds. Herro made just one 3-pointer, but still finished second in scoring with 15 points off the bench. He played off Butler perfectly, feeding him for buckets on multiple occasions:
Miami’s defense came up clutch as well, holding the Hawks starters to 40 points outside of Trae Young, who had 25. The Hawks will have to dig themselves out of the 2-0 hole when the series shifts to Atlanta this weekend; Game 3 is scheduled for 7:00 Friday night on ESPN.
Booker torches Pels in first half, leaves injured in third quarter
The biggest BBNBA story to come out of the night is the health of Devin Booker, who left the court early in the second half of Phoenix’s 125-114 loss to New Orleans. The injury was described as hamstring tightness, sustained on this third-quarter fast break play:
The Pelicans led by three points when Booker exited, and the Suns didn’t retake the lead until midway through the fourth quarter. Brandon Ingram was nails down the stretch, scoring 12 of his 37 points in the final period to close out the upset for his team and tie the series at one win apiece.
It was truly unfortunate timing for the Suns, as Booker was at his absolute best early in the game. He scored 31 points in the first half, including a scorching 7-10 mark from deep.
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For a brief moment, the internet was convinced Booker had gained superpowers from this random baby’s fist bump:
But alas, the tide turned sour quickly on the league’s top squad. Booker’s absence and some suspect defense in the second half allowed New Orleans to fight back into it, and ultimately leave Phoenix with a win in their back pocket. The onus will now be on the Suns to get one back in NOLA when the series resumes Friday night.
As for Booker’s injury, he’s likely to miss Games 3 and 4, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Not good.
Ja Morant, Grizzlies bury Wolves in Game 2
Like the Pelicans, the Timberwolves were riding high off a Game 1 upset over the Grizzlies on Saturday. But Memphis was able to right the ship on Tuesday, outscoring Minnesota 17 in the second half to secure a series split. The star for the Grizzlies was Ja Morant, who tallied 23 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds in the blowout win.
For the Wolves, Karl-Anthony Towns was largely held in check in the paint. KAT netted a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, but struggled to get a whole lot going offensively against the Griz’ stifling defense. The highlight of the night was probably the back-and-forth between Towns’ and Morant’s fathers, Karl Sr. and Tee:
The two dads were seen chirping at each other all game long on the sideline, making for some terrific TV. It overshadowed an all-around disappointing night for Minnesota, as Anthony Edwards was the only Timberwolf to crack 20 points — and only just. Jarred Vanderbilt wasn’t himself either, gathering just one rebound and zero steals in nine minutes of action.
Regardless, the Wolves are in good shape with the series tied and headed to Minneapolis. Game 3 is slated for 7:30 Thursday night on TNT.
Full Stats from Tuesday:
| Player | Result | Points | FG (3PA) | Rebounds | Assists | Steals | Blocks | Turnovers | Minutes | +/- |
| Devin Booker (PHX) | 125-114 L vs. NOP | 31 | 12-19 (7-11) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 25 | -6 |
| Tyler Herro (MIA) | 115-105 W vs. ATL | 15 | 5-11 (1-4) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | -7 |
| Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN) | 124-96 L @ MEM | 15 | 4-7 (0-1) | 11 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 28 | -21 |
| Bam Adebayo (MIA) | 115-105 W vs. ATL | 9 | 3-6 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 23 | -1 |
| Jarred Vanderbilt (MIN) | 109-104 W vs. LAC | 1 | 0-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | -7 |
| Kevin Knox (ATL) | 115-105 L @ MIA | DNP – Coach’s Decision | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
Tonight in the NBA
7:00 (TNT) – (2) Celtics @ (7) Nets – BOS leads 1-0
8:00 (NBA TV) – (4) 76ers (Maxey) @ (5) Raptors – PHI leads 2-0
9:30 (TNT) – (6) Bulls @ (3) Bucks – MIL leads 1-0
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