Jimmy Butler rebounding from a sprained ankle with 28 in the Heat win

When Butler stepped onto the charity bar, he took a moment to catch his breath and put his hands on his knees. Fans at the Kaseya Center slowly rose to their feet to cheer for their best player — the one who just came back to lead the Miami Heat to a 105-86 win Saturday over the New York Knicks to take a 2-1 lead. .

Butler finished with a game-high 28 points after missing Game 2 with a sprained right ankle.

“I feel good,” Butler said when asked about his performance and what it takes to prepare for Game Three. It’s me that people don’t see that is always there for me and making sure I have everything I need while I’m off the ground recovering.”

There was a brief moment when Heat fans had to hold their collective breath late in the third quarter. Butler made contact with the prop and was faltering a bit as he made his way back to the court.

Heat coach Eric Spoelstra told ESPN’s Melika Andrews during an on-court interview between the third and fourth quarters that Butler injured his thigh. After the match, Spoelstra said Butler was fine.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said that,” Spoelstra said. “He’s fine. He doesn’t ice that part of it. He was one of those little stingers that only takes three plays and you’re done.”

After playing the entire third quarter, Butler did not return to the game until 5:19 remained. Miami had a 17-point lead over fourth place, and Butler moved back into fourth place when the lead was at 14 points. Spoelstra said Butler could have returned sooner but the two were “on the same page” about when he would be reinstated in the match. .

Unlike the first two games of the series which featured 20 lead changes and 15 ties combined, Game 3 was all Miami, all game. The Heat controls things from the opening end and doesn’t let the lead go back to the single digits after the first basket in the second quarter.

“I think we kept our heads down and I think we kept being competitive and we kept in touch the whole time,” Heat guard Kyle Lowry said. “I think we had a good game plan. I think we were focused.”

Butler led the Heat’s charge in the first quarter, scoring 10 goals in the first six minutes. With five days rest between games 1 and 3, Butler said he got out of his rhythm early.

But both teams were off the hook the whole match. The Heat finished shooting 38.9% from the field and 7-of-32 (21.9%) from 3-point range, while the Knicks shot 34.1% overall and were 8-of-40 (20%) from depth.

“You just have to do whatever you have to do to win,” Spoelstra said. “Every game could be different. You don’t have to shoot 50 seconds to win a playoff. But maybe the next game we’ll have to.”

After losing Game 2, Bam Adebayo put the blame on his shoulders. His response in Game 3 was felt on the defensive.

In the first two games of the series, Adebayo allowed 1.3 points per game as a primary defender and allowed opponents to shoot 11 of 17, according to ESPN stats and information tracking data. In Game 3, he allowed 0.31 points per game and the Knicks caught 2 of 14 as a base defenseman.

Adebayo said the defensive effort of the Heat as a whole was the biggest key to the win.

“He made them take difficult shots. He had them play in crowds. Then they would get into the shooters. They would go off the line,” Adebayo said. “I feel like that’s what really won us that game.”

The other big key was Butler’s return. It was Butler’s ninth straight game with at least 25 points. The only player in Heat franchise history with a longer streak is LeBron James, who went on a 16-game winning streak of 25-point games between the 2012 and 2013 playoffs.

Butler scored 25 points in all seven games he played in this postseason, marking the longest streak to start the postseason in Heat history.

“At the moment, he’s running,” said Adebayo. “He’s playing at an all-time high. The thing about him is, you just have to give him an open space. Once he’s one-on-one with the big guy, I feel like he’s either a bucket or a bug. So, my job is easy — make sure you open him up.”