Against the Nuggets’ size, it’s hard work.īutler did not attempt a single free throw in Game 1 because of possessions like these, though he did do a better job of driving with intent in Game 2 and got five foul shots because of it. Five of Butler’s nine assists in Miami’s Game 2 win in Denver led to 3-pointers. The Heat understand that to win this series they need to make more 3-pointers than the Nuggets, who are big and strong enough to be efficient from 2-point range and are not a volume 3-point shooting team. “The way they defend, they’re prioritizing protecting the paint against him,” Spoelstra said. In the Finals, the Nuggets have deployed Aaron Gordon as Butler’s primary defender, but are also dropping Nikola Jokic deep into the paint on Butler’s pick-and-rolls to take away his rim attacks. We love playing for and with one another. I hope those guys need me a little bit, too. I’ve tried that before in other places where I just think I can do it (alone). “If my guys are open, I’m throwing it every single time. “It changes from series to series, maybe even game to game,” Butler said of the way defenses guard him. Butler was again a willing passer, but this time his teammates made shots as the Heat converted on nearly 44% of their 3s. Then in the East finals, the Celtics showed Butler bodies and crowded the paint to take away his drives. His scoring averages slipped and the Heat shot a playoff-low 30% from 3-point range in the series, but still managed to dispatch the Knicks in six gritty games. A sprained right ankle sustained in the first game sidelined him in Game 2 and sapped him of some of the explosiveness he had in the opening round. Butler scored 35, 25, 30, 56 and 42 points as the Heat upset the top-seeded Bucks in five games.Īgainst the Knicks, Butler saw more traps and double-teams designed to get the ball out of his hands. The Bucks defended Butler one-on-one, relying on Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Giannis Antetokounmpo at various points to handle the assignment. As long as we win, everybody is playing great.”Īs the Heat have advanced in the postseason, the way defenses approach Butler has changed. “I’ve done what I’ve needed to do to get us to 1-1,” Butler said. Against the Nuggets, Butler has 16 assists through two Finals games. Meanwhile, his assist numbers have gone up every series. Since averaging 37.6 points per game in the first round, Butler’s scoring average dropped to 24.7 points across the next two rounds. It’s led many to wonder if Butler’s best scoring games are behind him and, more crucially, if the Heat can win the championship without some classic Butler bangers. I only press to win.”īutler is averaging 17 points on 39.4% shooting through the first two games of the Miami Heat’s Finals matchup against the Denver Nuggets and hasn’t scored 30 points since Game 1 of the East finals. “This Playoff Jimmy narrative is not a thing,” Butler said. The Celtics are the sixth-ranked team in the league at allowing threes, conceding 11.8 made 3-pointers per contest.Jimmy Butler has long pushed back on the notion of “Playoff Jimmy,” and he reemphasized that on Tuesday when asked about his modest scoring output during these NBA Finals.Looking at assists, the Celtics are second in the league, conceding 23.2 per game.Conceding 44 rebounds per game, the Celtics are the 18th-ranked team in the NBA.On defense, the Celtics have allowed 112 points per game, which is sixth-best in the NBA.Holiday's opponents, the Celtics, have a middling offensive tempo, ranking 19th in the NBA with 102.1 possessions per game, while his Bucks rank 14th in possessions per game with 102.5.He's made 2.3 threes per game, or 13.2% of his team's makes from beyond the arc this season.Holiday is responsible for attempting 14.1% of his team's field goal attempts this season with 15.3 per game.Looking to bet on one or more of Jrue Holiday's player prop bets? Sign up at DraftKings with our link to get a first deposit bonus today! Jrue Holiday Insights vs.
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