Jimmy Butler trotted out a 30-point half after mostly filling in the gaps during his first four games with the team after the birth of his daughter. That barrage of buckets helped the Miami Heat trot out a 124-108 effort to light out the Phoenix Suns.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra was glad to finally see Jimmy Buckets:
“I like that guy,” Spoelstra said of the scoring version of Butler, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “It was good to get introduced to him tonight. That guy is special. He really is. He set the tone for the game, obviously, in that first half. And we just played off his offensive force. Just really smart basketball, getting to the rim, taking his open looks, also setting the table up for other people. He’s able to do it and not get tired, and that’s what’s unique. He does it on both ends.”
Butler finished a point shy of tying the franchise record for points in a first half. Former Heat players like Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Sherman Douglas each had 31-point first halves as members of the team.
Goran Dragic was in awe of Butler's performance:
“That was playoff Jimmy. He was unbelievable,” said teammate Goran Dragic. “He’s an unbelievable two-way player. He can guard, he can score and he was a huge boost for us in that first half.”
Seems like everything is rosy for the Heat, who have gotten off to a 6-2 start, trailing only the Boston Celtics for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. As long as Butler is putting in this type of work on the floor, the Heat can surprise a lot more teams with high-octane performances of this same kind.
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