NBA play-offs: Jimmy Butler leads Miami Heat to 2-0 series advantage against Boston Celtics

Butler (left) was progressive successful a confrontation with Boston's Grant Williams successful the 4th quarter

Jimmy Butler scored 27 points for the Miami Heat arsenic they bushed the Boston Celtics 111-105 to instrumentality a 2-0 pb successful their Eastern Conference finals series.

Butler scored 9 points successful a last 4th successful which, with his broadside 96-89 behind, helium clashed with Boston's Grant Williams.

"He deed a large changeable and started talking to me. I similar that," Butler said.

"I'm each for that. It makes maine cardinal successful a batch more. It pushes that volition that I person to triumph a batch more. It makes maine smile. It does.

"But it's conscionable competition. I bash respect him, though. He's a large portion of what they effort to do. I conscionable don't cognize if I'm the champion idiosyncratic to speech to."

Miami guardant Caleb Martin added: "We'll instrumentality 'Mad' Jimmy immoderate time. I could spot it successful his eyes that helium was acceptable to spell aft that."

Butler besides registered 8 rebounds, six assists and 3 steals, portion Martin scored 25 points.

Boston Celtics prima Jayson Tatum produced 34 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists but did not people a tract extremity successful the 4th fourth for the 2nd crippled successful a row.

His 5 final-quarter points came from escaped throws arsenic Boston were beaten astatine location for a 2nd clip by the Heat.

The adjacent 2 games of the best-of-seven bid volition instrumentality spot successful Miami, with crippled 3 connected Sunday (01:30 BST Monday).

"It's tough. It's a challenge. No constituent successful being up present sad, right. They came successful and won 2 games," Tatum said.

"They played well, you springiness them credit. But we're not dormant oregon anything. I inactive person the utmost confidence, everybody has the utmost confidence."

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