Butler scores 45, Heat defeat Hawks 115-105 for 2-0 lead
MIAMI (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored a playoff career-high 45 points, including a personal 7-0 run in the final moments, and the Miami Heat held off the Atlanta Hawks 115-105 in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference first-round series Tuesday night.
Tyler Herro scored 15 for Miami, while Max Strus scored 14 and Gabe Vincent added 11 for top-seeded Miami, which took a 2-0 lead over the eighth-seeded Hawks.
Bogdan Bogdanovic scored 19 of his 29 points in the fourth quarter for Atlanta. Trae Young scored 25 for the Hawks.
In other playoff action:
— Brandon Ingram scored 37 points, CJ McCollum added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the top-seeded Phoenix Suns 125-114 in Game 2, evening the series in their Western Conference first-round matchup. Not only did the Suns lose the game, but they’re unsure about the health status of All-Star guard Devin Booker. Booker was spectacular in the first half with 31 points before leaving with right hamstring tightness in the third quarter. The Pelicans earned their first playoff win since 2018.
— Ja Morant scored 23 points and handed out 10 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies looked much more like the team that posted the NBA’s second-best record, routing the Minnesota Timberwolves 124-96. That evens up their first-round Western Conference series at 1 apiece. Morant finished a rebound shy of a triple-double. Game 3 is Thursday night in Minneapolis. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 20. All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
NBA-NEWS
Kyrie Irving fined $50K for obscene gesture to Celtics fans
UNDATED AP) — Nets guard Kyrie Irving has been fined $50,000 for making obscene gestures and directing profane language toward the crowd during Brooklyn’s Game 1 playoff loss to the Celtics.
Cameras captured Irving flipping his middle finger toward fans as he ran down the court after making a shot in the third quarter. Irving said after the game that his actions were in response to jeers from fans he said crossed the line.
Fans have given Irving, who spent two seasons in Boston before leaving in free agency, similar receptions in recent visits to Boston.
Elsewhere in the NBA:
— There’s no overwhelming favorite for NBA champion as the playoffs start, but that was by no means a problem for ABC and ESPN. The five opening-round games of the playoffs last weekend averaged 4.17 million viewers on the two networks, up 32 percent from last year and the best showing for a playoff start since 2011.
— UCLA guard Jules Bernard has declared for the NBA draft. The senior won’t hire an agent to preserve his eligibility. Bernard has one year of eligibility remaining after the NCAA allowed an extra year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He averaged 12.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists last season.