Getty Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat.
Max Strus came up huge for the Miami Heat in their play-in matchup against the Chicago Bulls and Jimmy Butler loved to see it.
Butler had his own way of celebrating Strus on his Instagram after he dropped 31 points against the Bulls, hitting seven of his 12 3-point attempts.
“This man made himself a lot of money tonight,” Butler put as a caption on a post, which showed Strus with Wolverine claws. He also said the same phrase in his postgame press conference.
The love was mutual, with Strus crediting Butler for getting him the good looks.
“Get the ball to him,” Strus said of how he was able to nail so many threes via House of Highlights. “He’s one of the best at finding me. I love playing with him. He just makes the game easy for everyone.”
Strus will be a free agent this offseason and has put himself in a nice position. He averaged a career-best 11.5 points this season, shooting 41% from the field and 35% from deep.
Jimmy Butler Comes Up Clutch for Heat Against Bulls
Strus’ explosion was not expected but Butler putting up some monster numbers in a win-or-go-home setting is nothing new. He came through again for the Heat, scoring 31 points and propelling the team’s game-sealing 15-1 run in the fourth quarter.
“That’s what my squad needed me to do,” Butler said. “Stay aggressive and keep being in attack mode, and eventually, the ball’s gotta go in. I can’t keep missing layups.”
While Butler and Strus had big nights, Bam Adebayo had a rough go offensively. He was just 1-of-9 from the field, scoring eight points. However, he did grab 17 rebounds, register 4 assists with a steal and a block. Butler had his back after the game.
“I love Bam tonight is because even though you don’t make shots you can affect the game in so many ways. That is the definition of a star player,” Butler said. “I hope he makes every shot on Sunday but if he doesn’t and he has another game like this, it’ll be the reason we win.
Heat Get Top-Seeded Milwaukee Bucks Next
The Heat advanced to the postseason with the win against the Bulls and their reward is a matchup with the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks finished 58-24 behind MVP Finalist Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Butler knows it’s going to be a tough test but is looking forward to the challenge.
“You’re talking about an MVP in [Giannis Antetokounmpo], all the shooting, how together they are, they’ve been together for a while,” Butler said. “It’s going to be tough; it is. Milwaukee has some great fans that are always showing up and showing out. So, we’ve got to play damn near perfect basketball, which we’re capable of. Play hard, stick together through the good, through the bad. We are one and I think we’re going to be okay. Let this season go, let the play-in go. 0-0 and get to work.”
The odds indicate that the Heat are massive underdogs in the series. Miami is +650 to win the series, per DraftKings.
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Heat Star Jimmy Butler Sounds Off on Max Strus’ Future After Win