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76ers Playoff Watch: Miami Heat Take Shocking Lead Over Bucks

The Miami Heat are one step closer to upsetting the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Justin Grasso

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Is an upset brewing in the 2023 NBA Playoffs? Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat sure are trying hard to make one happen.

Just a couple of weeks after losing their first NBA Play-In game to the Atlanta Hawks, the Heat had a do-or-die matchup against the Chicago Bulls to crack the eighth seed. After defeating the Bulls, the Heat entered a seven-game series with the Milwaukee Bucks.

A lot has gone wrong for the top-seeded Bucks so far. In the first quarter of Game 1, Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo suffered a back injury. He missed the rest of the Game 1 matchup and the following two games.

While the Heat lost their veteran sharpshooter Tyler Herro in Game 1 as well, Jimmy Butler has picked up the slack and helped lead his team to a 2-1 record in the series before Game 4.

With Antetokounmpo returning in Game 4, the Bucks were favored by nearly eight points on Monday. At halftime, the Bucks held a seven-point lead over Miami. In the third quarter, they extended their lead to as many as 15 points.

Just as it seemed the game was getting away from the Heat, they turned it up a few notches in the fourth quarter to give Milwaukee a run for its money.

Miami outscored Milwaukee 41-25 in the fourth quarter. Jimmy Butler was responsible for 21 of those points in the eight minutes he checked in. By the end of the night, Milwaukee’s once 15-point lead was a distant memory, and the Miami Heat picked up a 119-114 win. Butler scored 56 points in 40 minutes of action.

At 3-1, the Heat are primed for an upset round-one victory. While the winner of the first-round series won’t face the Philadelphia 76ers until the Eastern Conference Finals at the earliest, there is a chance we could see a Philly-Miami rematch later on down the line.

Eastern Conference Scoreboard

1. Bucks vs. 8. Heat — Heat Lead 3-1

2. Celtics vs. 7. Hawks — Celtics Lead 3-1

3. Sixers vs. 6. Nets — Sixers Won 4-0

4. Cavaliers vs. 5. Knicks — Knicks Lead 3-1

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Justin Grasso
JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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