EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — LeBron James had a great game, but Jimmy Butler did too, and so did Duncan Robinson?
Hold, please.
The Lakers are still a win away from finally catching the Boston Celtics. Jimmy Butler made sure of it.
The Miami Heat veteran looked exhausted by the end of Friday’s game but still had enough to push his team past the Lakers, 111-108, in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
LeBron James was great, but so was Butler, who finished with 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists as the Heat sliced the Lakers’ series edge to 3-2.
When the Lakers seemed achingly close to finally catching Boston at 17 championships, they’ll have to wait until Sunday to try again.
Butler scored eight points in the final 1:51 amid a series of lead changes that ultimately ended with his two free throws as the go-ahead points. His mid-range game was flawless, and his continual drives to the basket were rewarded with hard-earned success or free throws, of which he was 12 for 12.
Butler, 31, almost played all 48 minutes, sitting out only 48 seconds in the first quarter.
Undrafted rookie Duncan Robinson was the surprise hero of the game, scoring 26 points and making seven three-pointers for Miami.
His touch from long distance was evident during the regular season when he finished fourth in three-pointers per game and three-point accuracy. But he hadn’t made an impact in the Finals and even went scoreless in Game 1. That changed Friday when he had 16 points in the second half.
James did just about everything he could — 40 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists — but Danny Green missed an open three-point attempt with 7.1 seconds left and the Lakers down a point. Markieff Morris grabbed the offensive rebound and promptly threw the ball out of bounds while trying to feed Anthony Davis down low.
For his part, Davis limped around for part of the game after leaving briefly in the first quarter when he aggravated a bruised right heel. He still finished with 28 points and 12 rebounds, but there were no late-game heroics from him this time.
The victory champagne will have to stay chilled and the cigars uncut, at least until Sunday.
Mike Bresnahan is the Lakers analyst for Spectrum SportsNet.