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MILWAUKEE (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 35 points and the Miami Heat capitalized on Giannis Antetokounmpo’s early exit to beat the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks 130-117 on Sunday in an Eastern Conference playoff opener featuring two notable injuries.
The top-seeded Bucks lost Antetokounmpo to a lower back bruise early in the second quarter. Miami’s Tyler Herro broke his right hand later in the period.
No. 8 seed Miami had built a 68-55 halftime advantage before Herro’s departure and stayed ahead by shooting 59.5% (50 of 84) from the floor. The Heat were 15 of 25 and the Bucks 11 of 45 from 3-point range.
Antetokounmpo got fouled by Kevin Love and landed hard on his backside in the first quarter. He went to the locker room, returned briefly and left the court again, this time for good. He had six points and three rebounds in 11 minutes.
Herro appeared to hurt his hand while diving for a loose ball late in the first half.
Bam Adebayo had 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists for the Heat. Butler had 11 assists. Love had 18 points and eight rebounds off the bench.
Khris Middleton led the Bucks with 33 points and nine rebounds. Bobby Portis had 21 points. Jrue Holiday added 16 points and 16 assists for Milwaukee, which appeared disjointed after a long layoff.
LAKERS 128, GRIZZLIES 112
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Rui Hachimura had a career-best playoff scoring performance with 29 points, including 21 in the second half, and LeBron James added 21 points and 11 rebounds as Los Angeles beat Memphis in the opening game of their Western Conference series.
Austin Reaves added 23 points, including nine straight in the closing minutes as the Lakers pulled away. Anthony Davis had 22 points and 12 rebounds, and D’Angelo Russell, who scored only two points in the Lakers’ play-in win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, finished with 19 points.
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 31 points, while Desmond Bane scored 22. Ja Morant had 18 points before leaving in the fourth quarter with an injured right hand.
Seventh-seeded Los Angeles wrested home-court advantage from the No. 2 seed Grizzlies, who had the NBA’s best home record at 35-6.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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