Heat take stunning 2-1 series lead over top-seeded Bucks with Game 3 win

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Jimmy Butler scored 30 points before leaving with back soreness following a hard fall, and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 121-99 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

Duncan Robinson scored 20 points on his 29th birthday for Miami, while Kyle Lowry scored 15 for the Heat.

The Bucks were without Giannis Antetokounmpo for a second consecutive game because of a bruised lower back. Khris Middleton scored 23 points, Jrue Holiday added 19 and Grayson Allen scored 14 for Milwaukee.

Game 4 is in Miami on Monday night.

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Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) reacts after shooting a 3-pointer during the first half of Game 3 in a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Saturday, April 22, 2023, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

With the win, the Heat are halfway to what would be a stunner — a No. 8 seed over a No. 1 seed, something that’s happened only five times since the NBA went to the 16-team playoff format in 1984.

Those who pulled it off: Denver over Seattle 3-2 in 1994, New York over Miami 3-2 in 1999, Golden State over Dallas 4-2 in 2007, Memphis over San Antonio 4-2 in 2011 and Philadelphia over Chicago 4-2 in 2012.

Butler got hurt midway through the third quarter after trying a shot near the rim and landing on his back. He stayed in the game briefly, departed for a short stint in the locker room and returned with a large wrap on his back — with the Heat saying he would return.

He didn’t, because he didn’t have to. The game was in hand, and Miami eventually led by as many