Jimmy Butler on Tuesday delivered a triple-double to beat Toronto then turned his focus to Miami’s next opponent with an unbeaten home record.
Butler had 22 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists, while Duncan Robinson scored 22 points as the Heat spoiled Kyle Lowry’s return to Toronto’s lineup by beating the Raptors 121-110 in overtime.
“I’m not going to say that this one is more special than any other one,” Butler said of Miami’s third consecutive win and second straight on the road. “Just two good teams going at it. We were fortunate enough to do our job.”
Photo: AP / The Canadian Press
Butler scored eight consecutive points in 55 seconds to begin the extra session as the Heat recovered after blowing a seven-point lead in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter.
“When it’s closing time, he just makes whatever play is needed,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Miami also won at Milwaukee on Oct. 26, a 131-126 overtime victory. The Heat are the only road team to beat the Bucks this season.
Miami were yesterday to close their three-game road trip at Boston. The Celtics (7-0) are one of three NBA teams yet to lose at home this season. Philadelphia (10-0) and Miami (8-0) are the others.
“We talked about it: We’ve got one more to win,” Butler said. “We’d better get over this one fairly quickly.”
Butler became the 10th player in Heat history to post a triple-double, achieving the feat for the fifth time.
“He was doing even more stuff that you won’t see in the box score: encouraging guys, talking, being in gaps defensively,” Miami’s Justise Winslow said. “He was fantastic for us.”
Bam Adebayo scored 18 points, Winslow had 17 and Kelly Olynyk 16 as the Heat snapped the Raptors’ season-high winning streak at seven games and became the first visitors to win north of the border this season.
“Those guys are exhausted in there,” Spoelstra said, gesturing to his team’s locker room. “They earned their ice.”
Pascal Siakam had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Norman Powell scored 23 points and Fred VanVleet had 19 for Toronto, who had won a franchise-record nine straight home games to begin the season.
“We didn’t have the greatest energy, I didn’t think, especially in the first half,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.
Toronto missed all nine of their field goal attempts in overtime, eight of them from three-point range.
Lowry returned after missing 11 games because of a fractured left thumb. The five-time All-Star missed his first 11 shot attempts, including seven from three-point range, before making a layup with 8 minutes, 40 seconds to go in the fourth.
He finished two for 18, including zero for 11 from three-point range. Lowry had 12 points and 11 assists in 41 minutes.
“That was terrible,” Lowry said, blaming his poor performance on rust. “I’m sure I’ll be better next game. It’s nothing to be concerned or worried about.”
Toronto trailed 107-100 after Winslow’s layup with 1 minute, 59 seconds to go in the fourth. Powell hit a trey, Lowry made a pair at the line and, after a missed jumper by Winslow, Powell connected from the corner to give the Raptors a 108-107 lead, their first of the final quarter.
Butler tied it by splitting a pair of free throws and Siakam had his shot blocked at the other end, giving the Heat the ball with just less than 20 seconds remaining. Miami advanced the ball before Spoelstra called timeout with 9.3 seconds to go.
Butler pulled up for a trey over Powell, but his shot bounced off the rim, sending it to overtime.
In other results, it was:
‧ Spurs 135, Rockets 133, 2 OT
‧ Lakers 105, Nuggets 96
‧ Clippers 117, Trail Blazers 97
‧ Mavericks 118, Pelicans 97
‧ Magic 127, Wizards 120
‧ Pistons 127, Cavaliers 94
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