Jimmy Butler (32) led the Miami Heat (hereafter referred to as the Miami Heat) to victory with a clutch performance.
Miami beat Oklahoma City 112-111 by 1 point in the NBA 2022-23 season regular league game held at FTX Arena in Miami, Florida, USA on the morning of the 11th (Korean time). With this, Oklahoma City ran 3-game winning streak with 19-22. (Miami 21-21)
Jimmy Butler played a big role in the game that day with 35 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks, and Max Strauss scored 22 points and 7 rebounds, including 4 3-pointers. In Oklahoma City, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander contributed 26 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, and Gidi contributed 18 points, 15 rebounds 안전놀이터 and 10 assists.
Miami finished the first quarter with a 31-26, 5-point lead due to Gilgeous-Alexander’s sluggish performance even without Bam Adebayo. In the second quarter, Miami started to score directly with Butler, and Struss and Victor Oladipo each assisted with two 3-pointers. Oklahoma finished the first half with Gilgeous-Alexander coming back to life at the end of the quarter and narrowing the score to 56-63, 7 points.
At the beginning of the third quarter, when Oklahoma’s housekeeper Kenrich Williams scored 6 points in a row, Miami added Strus’ 5 points in a row and Butler’s points. However, Oklahoma City even tied the game after Gilgeous-Alexander’s breakthrough, as the kickout pass and Giedee’s passing game regained a sense of stability. In the ensuing attack, the two teams continued the scoring battle, but Butler’s free throw scored 89-88, and Miami entered the fourth quarter with a one-point lead.
Gidi succeeded in scoring consecutively with a mid-range jumper and free throw, bringing the atmosphere at the beginning of the fourth quarter to Oklahoma City. Oladipo then scored as a clean runner, and after stealing Tre Man’s ball, he made all the free throws he got from a fast-breaking foul. Miami turned the game around with Gabe Vincent’s 4-point play in the ensuing attack.
In response, Oklahoma City put in all of its key players and took the lead again with Lugenz Dot’s cut-in score, but Butler and Jamal Kane’s five consecutive points allowed them to turn around. Oklahoma tied the game again with Jaylen Williams breaking through and stealing followed by a fast break.
Gilgeous-Alexander hit a stepback 3-pointer 2 minutes and 50 seconds before the end of the game, and Dot and Gidi scored consecutively within 7 seconds. Here, Gidi made use of Aaron Wiggins’ cut-in to write a triple double. However, Oladipo showed his will to pursue with a 3-point shot 40 seconds before the end.
Later, Butler completed Oladipo’s steal with an Andone when Williams missed all two free throws 12 seconds before the end of the game. Accordingly, Miami won a difficult victory over Oklahoma City by one point, 112-111.