With Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kenrich Williams missing both of his free throws with 22 seconds remaining on the clock, Miami Heat had a chance of tying the game or winning it all. Their all-star player Jimmy Butler post up another Williams, Thunder’s no. 8 player Jalen, before giving a head fake to score the basket and get an and-1 opportunity. Butler scored his free throw, and Miami Heat’s fortieth of the evening to complete the three-point play and gave Heat the lead. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a chance to regain the lead for Thunder, but to no avail, as his three pointer was short. A jump ball was given at the dying moments of the game, but Thunder could do nothing with only 0.8 second remaining. Heat won the game 112-111.
A Historical Night for Miami Heat
Five players each from Miami and Oklahoma were on double figures last night, with six-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler leading all scorers with a game-high 35 points, in addition to his seven rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes played. The former Chicago Bulls, Minnesota Timberwolves and Philadelphia 76ers forward’s points total last night was well above his season average (21.6 PPG at the Moment) and helped his team to snap a one-game losing streak that came after their defeat to Brooklyn Nets at home at the FTX Arena.
The team from Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference was superior in the first two quarters, outscoring its opponent 31-26 and 32-30 respectively, but Oklahoma City Thunder fought back in the second half and came close to win the game, if it was not the two missed free throws as Kenrich Williams could have made the game beyond reach and extended his team’s lead to four points had he scored both of his foul shots.
It is worth mentioning that Miami Heat had 40 free throw attempts in the game, and was 100% on the foul line shots last night, rewriting the history book of NBA for the most free throws in a game without a miss, with more than half of those shots from the charity stripe were made by Jimmy Butler (23).
The Heat set a new NBA record in their win over OKC, going 40-40 from the free throw line.
They needed every make in the 112-111 victory.
Jimmy Butler led the way going 23-23 from the stripe, tying Dominique Wilkins for the 2nd-most made FT without a miss in NBA history. pic.twitter.com/k8uN1EuBQl
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 11, 2023
Played without Six Injured Players
The win was a monumental one as Miami Heat was shorthanded and had six players missing through injuries, including starters Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry. Nonetheless, Jimmy Buttler was not a loner in carrying Heat to its 22nd victory of the season as players such as Max Strus, Victor Oladipo, Gabe Vincent and Jamal Cain were also on double figures. This victory over Oklahoma City Thunder pushed Heat to be above 0.500 and cemented their position as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, with only 0.5 game separating it from the seventh seed, New York Knicks while OKC is now in 13th in the Western Conference.
When spoked about the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra mentioned that, “It’s just a normal Tuesday night for the Miami Heat. I think this is when we feel most alive, when everything just happens and when all of our competitive juices get out there. That’s the team we all can relate to. That’s the team I like.”
Miami Heat will take on the third seed in Eastern Conference, Milwaukee Bucks in back-to-back games at the FTX Arena next.
Donovan Mitchell scored 71 points against Chicago Bulls, tied for eight-best scoring game for an NBA Player!
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