Heat reach the East finals, top Bucks to win series 4-1

Jimmy Butler and Miami Heat are heed to Eastern Conference finals. Giannis Antetokounmpo could only watch.

fifth-seeded Heat finished off an upset of NBA’s best regular-season team Tuesday, topping Milwaukee Bucks 103-94 in Game 5 of ir East semifinal series — while Antetokounmpo, league’s reigning MVP, couldn’t play because of a sprained right ankle.

Butler and Goran Dragic each scored 17 points for Heat, who won series 4-1 and will face eir Boston or Toronto when NBA’s final four gets underway next week. It's Miami's first time in East finals since 2014, and first time Butler has gotten to NBA's final four.

Jae Crowder scored 16, Tyler Herro scored 14, Bam ebayo h 13 and Kelly Olynyk h 12 apiece for Heat.

Khris Middleton h 23 points for Milwaukee, which got 15 points and 14 rebounds from Brook Lopez. Donte DiVincenzo scored 17, Wesley Matws and Marvin Williams each h 11 and Eric Bledsoe h nine assists for Bucks.

Antetokounmpo did what he could — cheering from bench throughout, rebounding for teammates during pregame warmups and again at halftime, offering words during time-outs.

And Bucks were inspired from jump.

But NBA's . 1 overall seed in se playoffs — a league-best 56-17 in regular season — just didn't have eugh.

Milwaukee opened game on a 28-15 run, putting Miami on its heels from opening minutes. DiVincenzo got call to start for Antetokounmpo and scored eight of Milwaukee’s first 16 points, Matws h nine by end of quarter and Bucks were off to a promising start.

Miami answered that start with a 30-9 run of its own, capped by three free throws from Olynyk with 4:36 left in half for a 45-37 Heat le.

Milwaukee wouldn’t let Heat get away, though -- t n, and t in third when Miami pushed le out to 12 after a 3-pointer by Crowder with 3:07 left. Bucks needed just 50 seconds to rip off seven straight points, and it stayed close from re.

TIP-INS

Heat: This is Miami’s seventh trip to conference finals since 2005, most of anyone in East and matching most of any team in NBA in that span; San Antonio also has seven such trips since 2005. ... Miami survived on a night where it h 22 turvers.

Bucks: NBA went to 16-team playoff format in 1984 and this is only sixth time in those 37 seasons that . 1 seed did t make East finals. ... Bucks depart bubble with a $2,020,431 share of NBA’s annual playoff pool. y could have split $6,827,848 if y won title.

LOTS OF DEFENSE

Antetokounmpo didn’t play and re were still three of or nine members of NBA’s All-Defensive Team, anunced earlier Tuesday, in game. Lopez, Bledsoe and ebayo were all second-team selections. Antetokounmpo was a first-teamer, as would be expected for player who also won Defensive Player of Year.

ELMAN TRIBUTE

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra got his 79th postseason win, tying Rick elman — one of his idols as a Portland kid — for 11th on NBA’s all-time list. “I thought he was one of most successful, understated, humble people to ever do it in this business,” Spoelstra said. “I hope people can really realize his greatness. He should be in Hall of Fame. He’s invated this game offensively as much as anyone.”

ODD COINCIDENCE

last time Bucks played a game without Antetokounmpo on floor was April 28, 2013 — about two months before y took him with . 15 pick in that year’s draft. ir 2012-13 season ended that day, with a loss to Miami.

UP NEXT

Heat: Game 1 of East finals vs. Toronto or Boston, TBD.

Bucks: Season complete.

Im credits: AP