Warriors 86 vs 112 Heat sumary, stats, scores and highlights | Jimmy Butler returns to Miami
The Warriors were able to cut the lead to single digits late in the third quarter but that deficit stretched to 23 in the 4th quarter and the Heat cruised to victory. This was their second straight win, and first string of back to back wins since late February. They are still fighting just to make it into the Play-In while the Warriors will hope to get Steph Curry back for their next game on Friday against the Pelicans. Golden State is now just a half game above the Clippers for the sixth spot in the West. Should they slump anymore they risk having to get through the Play-In in yet another postseason.
This was the highlight of the night from the seven foot rookie. Ware drove down the lane, lost the ball, regathered it and some how flipped it up over his head off the glass and in. As soon as this went in, you knew the Heat were going to have a special night, and they didn't let up until the final buzzer.
Curry was missing and obviously that affected the Warriors offense but on defense the Warriors looked sluggish. They were slow to get back and getting out hustled all night long. Ware was there to punish them whenever Golden State dropped their guard.
Tyler Herro went perfect from behind the line, which should come as no surprise for this year's Three Point Champion. He ended the night with 20 points including this buzzer beater to end the half and dished 7 assists in the wire-to-wire win.
Wiggins set the tone, doing it on both ends and finished the night with 10 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists after scoring 72 combined points in the previous two games.
Kel'el Ware had himself a night. No one on the Warriors could handle his size and athleticism and he put up a double double full of highlights.
The Warriors looked short of scoring options with Curry sidelined and that allowed the defense to zone in on Butler. Butler looked frustrated at times as he struggled to get going. He finally came to life in the second half but ended the game with 11 and 6 rebounds.
Butler wasn't the only one playing his old team from Kaseya Center. Long time Warrior Andrew Wiggins faced his old teammates for the first time in a Miami jersey and did a little bit of everything that he used to do with he was in the blue and gold of Golden State.
Jimmy and Bam Adebayo were buddies when Butler was in Miami, but now that Butler is no longer around this is Bam's team and he showed that against the Warriors who were without Stephen Curry who is still recovering from a pelvic injury.
The Heat has lost nine in a row before beating the Charlotte Hornets in the game before the Warriors came to town. On Tuesday they made it two in a row thanks to a fantastic performance from everyone who stepped on the court. Alec Burks got things going with the opening three ball of the game and ended the night with 17 points, going 5/7 from downtown.
The Miami Heat have been struggling since Jimmy's departure, but on Tuesday night they got their biggest win since the trade. They knew Butler was going to try to come in and make a statement, but it was Miami who got ahead first, going on a 7-0 run out of the gate. Butler put the first points on the board for Golden State, but was frustrated by a swarming Miami defense that held him to just two points in the first half.
Jimmy Butler made his return to Miami after a turbulent ending to his era with the Heat. He blew off the importance of the game, but did tell TNT that, should he see Pat Riley, he had nothing to sayold boss, and his old boss "better not have nothing to say to me." He did however show some love to the Miami crowd, although not everyone was as happy to see him.
IT'S ALL OVER!!!
THE MIAMI HEAT SPOIL JIMMY BUTLER'S HOMECOMING WITH A WIRE-TO-WIRE WIN OVER THE GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS!!!
MItchell puts the icing on the cake with a three ball and that's going to do it here form Miami!!!
Jackson-Davis lays it up and in as the Miami defense has shut off in the final minute of the game.
Jackson-Davis with the tip slam off the miss from Kuminga.
Kuminga to the line and he hits one of two after the foul on Ware.
Larsson sticks a three ball and he's got five quick points off the bench!
Santos drills the three ball from the top of the key!
Larsson to the rack and finishes with the finger roll.
Kuminga to the line after the foul on Highsmith and he hits one of two FTs.
MItchell drives baseline and soars to the iron for the lay up.
Adebayo hangs it high off the glass with a fader from outside the lane.
Anderson on the spin and jump hook in the lane.
Santos with the offensive board and put back.
Herro with another three ball out of the timeout and the lead is 23!!!
Herro left alone at the top of the key and he drills the three ball!
Timeout GS down by 20 with 7:05 to go.
Moody gets the floater to fall in the lane.
Anderson answers back with a three from the corner!
Podziemski drills a deep three ball off the dish from Looney.
Adebayo to the line after the foul on Moody and he hits both FTs.
Bam misses the second FT out of the timeout.
Adebayo sent to the line after the foul on Hield and missed the first before GS take a TO with 9:23 to go in the 4th quarter.
Herro with the interception and he finds Anderson for the lay up in transition.
Mitchell start the quarter with a steal and score and a foul on Hield!! FT is no good.
WE ARE HEADING TO THE FOURTH QUARTER WITH THE HEAT LEADING BY 13!!!
Herro finds MItchell in the corner and he splashes the three ball to end the third quarter!!!
Herro with a tough leaner from the elbow to end an 8-0 run from the Warriors.
Extra pass from Podziemski to Kuminga who drains a three ball!
Podziemski with the pull up from outside the lane and he gets it to go.
Butler with the fader in the lane, gets the bucket and the foul on Highsmith. FT is good.
Butler lobs it up to Kuminga down low and he lays it up and in down low.
Ware lost the lay up in mid air and flipped it up off the glass for two!
Podziemski with the baseline jumper.
Wiggins down the lane and he lobs it up fo Burks on the alley oop.
Timeout Heat with 6:09 to go in the 3rd quarter.
Podziemski to the cut and gets the roll with the lay up.
Wiggins on the step back from the baseline and hits it over Podzemski.
Podziemski from the wing and he drills the three ball off the kick out from Green.
Ware with the alley oop slam off the lob from Highsmith.
Butler with back to back buckets and the Dubs would love to see him warm up in this second half.
Butler with the mid range jumper from the elbow off the feed from Green.
Adebayo with the short range effort and the lead is back up to 20.
Adebayo in the corner and he drills the three ball off the kick out from Wiggins.
Payton with the steal and the slam off the mistake from Ware.
Payton finds Moody and he catches and lays it up and get the and one. FT is good.
Burks with a three ball and his red hot night continues.
Podzemski misses the jumper but Butler is there with the tip in off the rebound.
Bam starts the half with a bang, streaking down the lane and smashing a dunk hom.
WE ARE MIAMI IN PLAY WITH THE SECOND HALF OF ACTION.
Tyler Herro is the leading scorer for the Heat this season. He's got 12 points including this buzzer beater to end the half and put the Heat up 17 at the half.
Everytime Butler gets the ball, he is getting booed by the fans that used to adore him. He's not just getting boos, he is getting all of the attention of the Heat defense and that has held him to just two points through two quarters.
Jimmy isn't the only one playing against his old team tonight. Andrew Wiggins played for almost a decade in Golden State, and is now calling Miami home. He's got 8 points and is having a better game than the guy he was traded for.
Bam and Jimmy were boys back in MIami, but Bam knows this is his team now that Jimmy is gone. He put some grown man moves on the Warriors early on.
The Heat got off to a quick start as the Warriors struggled to get buckets with Steph Curry on the bench for a second straight game. Butler got the first basket of the night but that was his only bucket of the first half.
Butler was clear about his return to Miami. He initially brushed it off, and said he wasn't giving it much importance but then had this to say about Pat Riley, his old boss.
Jimmy is back in the place he used to call home, but it hasn't been going well for the newest Golden State Warriors through two quarters.
THAT TAKES US TO THE END OF THE FIRST HALF AND IT'S BEEN ALL HEAT FOR THE FIRST TWO QUARTERS!!!
HERRO WITH THE THREE BALL FADING OUT OF BOUNDS WITH THE SHOT CLOCK WINDING DOWN!!!
Herro with the kickout to the corner and he finds Burks for the three ball!
Kuminga to the line and he hits both FTs after the foul on Highsmith.
Extra pass in the corner for Burks and he drills the three ball!!!
Timeout Warriors with 1:35 to go in the first half.
Kuminga to the line after the foul on Ware and he hits one of two FTs.
Wiggins into the lane and he gets the lay up to fall.
Looney to the line after the foul on Burks and he hits one of two FTs.
Kuminga slashes to the rack and lays it up off the glass.
Hield puts it on the deck and lays it up off the glass with his left hand.
Timeout Heat wit 3:45 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Kuminga to the bucket and he gets the lay up and the foul on Ware! FT is good.
Adebayo pulls the trigger from the top of the key and he sinks the three!
Ware with the spin and finish in the lane over Green.
Ware with the floater on the baseline and he gets a friendly roll.
Hield to the line after the foul on Mitchell and he hits both FTs.
Anderson finds Ware down the lane and he smashes it home with a two handed jam!
Timeout Warriors with 7:42 to go in the 2nd quarter.
Herro to the line after the foul on Green and hits both FTs.
Green with the floater over Anderson for his first points.
Mitchell taking it coast to coast and he lays it up and in!
Offensive rebound from MItchell and he hits Herro cutting down the lane for the floater.
Herro answers back with a three ball from the top of the key!
Post with the catch and shoot from the wing and he bangs home a three ball!
WE ARE AT THE END OF THE FIRST QUARTER!!!
The Warriors got off to a slow start with no Steph Curry. Butler had the first points of the game for GS, but has been shutout since then. MIA lead by six after 12 minutes thanks to 13 and 4 rebounds from Adebayo.
Adebayo banks home an elbow jumper to beat the buzzer and that's how the first quarter is going to end.
Adebayo takes a dribble in the lane and gets the jump hook to fall, and the foul! FT is good after the foul on Santos.
Santos with another three ball and he's got 6 quick points off the bench.
Post sends Adebayo to the line and he hits both FTs.
Post with a behind the back pass to Santos for the lay up down the lane.
Santos with a three ball and the Warriors are starting to see some of their three fall.
Adebayo with the spot up and he hits the mid range jumper.
Three ball from Hield from the wing! He's got two on the night.
Three ball from Wiggins off the kick out from Highsmith and Wiggins is off to a great start against his old team.
Butler wasted no time getting his name on the scoresheet early in the game. He's been booed basically from the time he was introduced here at Kaseya Center.
Post misses the three ball, but Moody was there for the put back off the offensive board.
Timeout Heat with 4:04 to go.
Wiggins drills the three ball from the corner off the dish from MItchell!
Hield pulls up from deep and drains the three after GS missed their first seven triple tries.
Burks with a strong drive and goes into Butler for the lay up off the glass.
Herro pulls up from the paint and he's on the board for the first time.
Podziemski leans into the contact hits the FT jumper and gets the foul! FT is not good but Payton sneaks in for the tip in.
Wiggins blocks Butler's lay up and the crowd here in Miami erputs. The fans are a little salty about how things ended it seems, and they are getting on his case early and often.
Adebayo to the line after the foul on Payton and he hits both FTs.
Butler gets on the board for the first time in his return with a floater in the lane.
Adebayo with the dump off and Ware smashes it home for an early 7-0 lead!
Adebayo with a jam down low and the Warriors take a quick timeout early in this first quarter!
Burks starts us off with a three ball off a kick out from Herro!
WE ARE UNDERWAY FROM MIAMI!!!
Jimmy comes "home"
Jimmy got into the building about an hour and a half ago, and tonight he will be in the visitors dressing room, but he seems right at home pregame. You know he's going to try and make a statement against his old team that is currently reeling since his departure.
Shots fired before tip off
Jimmy returns to Miami tonight, and he was very blunt in his arrival to Kaseya Arena. He says he has nothing to say to his old boss and Pat Riley "better not have anything to say to him."
NBA standings
Taking a look at the standings in both conferences, we see the Warriors sitting in sixth place in the Western Conference. They are just a game above the LA Clippers in seventh place, occupying the first spot in the Play-In tournament. The Lakers and Grizzlies are two games ahead of the Warriors, but it’s the Lakers who are holding on to the 4th spot in the West, which would give them home court advantage for the first round of the payoffs. They are 4.5 games behind the second placed Rockets, so if they get hot, they could have an outside shot at second in the West, but they have to basically win out and hope for some help. The Heat, however are in a world of hurt. They are in 10th place, hanging on to the final Play in spot in the East. While they have a five game cushion on the Raptors in 11th, if they stay in 10th until he end of the regular season they are going to have win two games on the road just to get into the playoffs.
Jimmy yada yadas Miami return
It’s going to be interesting to see how the Heat fans react to Jimmy Butler tonight. He was such a pivotal part of Miami’s success over the last five years and took the Heat on a historic run to the Finals as an 8 seed. He was beloved in Miami until things turned sour. Things were said. Suspensions were handed out, and finally Jimmy left Miami and burned some bridges along the way. While everyone around the NBA seems excited for his return, Jimmy isn’t giving much importance to his “homecoming” of sorts.
Curry’s status
Steph Curry was injured on in the second half of the Warriors win over the Raptors in their last home game. He took a hard fall and although he wanted to come back in the game, team medics aired on the side of caution. He was diagnosed with a pelvic bruise, and sat out the Dubs last game in Atlanta. He joined the team in Miami on Monday, and was reevaluated. Reports out of the Warriors locker room is Curry will play tonight. This might have been the rest that Steve Kerr suggested that Curry needed last week before he sat him against the Milwaukee Bucks. Curry sat that game, came back against the Raptors only to get hurt I that game. Curry was listed as questionable tonight and will likely be a game time decision.
Origin of the beef
So lets’ get into the story of the night. Jimmy Butler vs. The Miami Heat. It was a year long saga that apparently started after the Heat were knocked out of the playoffs last year. After leading to the Heat to the NBA Finals in two of the five full seasons in Miami, Butler had to sit out last year’s first round series against the Celtics with a sprained knee. Miami lost 4-1, but after the Celtics eased past the Heat and eventually won the title, Jimmy Butler was heard saying if he was playing Boston and New York would be at home. Heat president Pat Riley responded after hearing that statement, and said Butler should keep his mouth shut. Reports of Jimmy not being happy in Miami flared up early in the season, and then Butler apparently was a no show at Riley’s wife’s Christmas party in which the family invites the entire organization over. Suspensions followed. Juicy press conferences followed. Flights were missed, and a trade was requested. Finally the Heat dealt Butler to the Warriors ending a bitter saga in South Beach.
Star watch: Heat
Since the departure of Jimmy Butler, this team has struggled mightily. Tyler Herro is the top scorer on this team averaging 23.5 points a game, but he needs some help. Andrew Wiggins came over in the Butler trade and is averaging 21 points a game, but the last two games is where Wiggins has really showed how dangerous he can be. He scored 30 points in a four point loss to the Houston Rockets who are second in the Western Conference. Last game he put up 42 points, his second most ever while hitting 6/8 three pointers. If the Heat are going to win their second straight, and spoil Jimmy’s return to the 305, it’s going to be up to Herro and Wiggins.
Star watch: Warriors
We would be remiss to highlight anyone other than Jimmy Butler in our star watch portion of the preview. Butler is the headliner here in Miami tonight, but since touching down in the Bay the Warriors have been a different team. He has rejuvenated the roster and taken some of the pressure off of Steph Curry on the offensive side of the ball. As a result, the Warriors have rocketed up the standings and out of Play-In position. He has played 19 games with Golden State and the Warriors have lost just three of those. He’s averaging 17, 6 and 6 since getting to the Bay, and tonight’s he’s going to want to put up big numbers against his old team.
Last game: Heat
The Miami Heat finally snapped a nine game losing streak last on Sunday when they hosted the Charlotte Hornets. Andrew Wiggins posted the second highest scoring game of his career, dropping 42 points on the Hornets and Tyler Herro added another 29 for a Heat team that was desperate for a win. It was the Heat’s first win in almost three weeks, and kept them in 10th place in the Eastern Conference.
Warriors last game
The Warriors played the first game of their six game road trip in Atlanta and Draymond Green called it a “terrible game” after getting dropped by the Hawks. With no Steph Curry, they took an early shot to the chops, being outscored 40-23 in the first quarter and never recovered. Jimmy Butler scored 25, but Trey Young’s 25 and 10 were to much for a Warriors team that turned the ball over 16 times in Atlanta. The Warriors made a late comeback in the fourth quarter but the Hawks held on to drop the Dubs on their first game of this long road swing.
We are live from Miami
Hello everyone and welcome to Biscayne Bay where Jimmy Butler is back in the place he used to call home for five and a half years. It’s no secret that Butler and the Heat ended things on terrible terms and tonight the former hometown hero comes into town looking said took the joy out of playing basketball in the end of his era in Miami. The Warriors are rising up the West, and tonight they could get Stephen Curry back from injury just in time for the final stretch of the season. The Miami Heat just snapped a nine game losing streak their last time out, but they have won just 5 of 21 games since sending Butler to San Fran. Tonight Butler aims to rub salt on the wound against his former team.
Warriors vs. Heat
A month and a half ago Jimmy Butler’s relationship with the Miami Heat came to a boiling point which led to an eventual trade. Tonight Butler and his new team come into town looking continue rising up the playoff standings while adding to the post deal misery in Miami. It’s the Golden State Warriors coming into town to take on the Miami Heat and AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis from Kaseya Arena.