Bucks' Early Exit: Miami Heat Roars to Victory

• NBA

The Milwaukee Bucks, who dominated the NBA this season with a 58-24 record, now face elimination in the first round of the playoffs following a heart-wrenching defeat to the Miami Heat.

Jimmy Butler Shines as Heat Overcome Bucks

Last night, the Heat secured a 119-114 win over the Bucks, putting them in a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Despite Giannis Antetokounmpo's valiant return from injury with 26 points and 13 rebounds, Jimmy Butler had a career game, scoring a Miami record-breaking 56 points. "We knew what we were capable of, even if nobody outside of this building, outside of this roster and outside of this organization believed in us," Butler stated.

"That’s fine. We just want to continue to do what we know is possible." The Heat's Bam Adebayo added, "We deserved to win that game, because he played incredible." The Bucks will now need to win three consecutive games, starting with Game 5 at Milwaukee on Wednesday, to have a chance to advance to the second round.

Despite leading for much of the game, the Heat mounted a comeback in the final minutes, with coach Erik Spoelstra remarking, "It just shows you that when you have the right grit and perseverance, you can win."

Lakers Inching Closer to Second Round

In contrast, the Los Angeles Lakers, who faced a rocky road to the playoffs, are close to advancing to the second round in their series against the second-placed West team, the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Lakers secured a 117-111 victory in overtime and now hold a 3-1 lead in the series. LeBron James had a masterful performance, finishing with 22 points, an impressive 22 rebounds, and 7 assists. “I just try to be as great as I can be offensively, but more importantly on the defensive end,” James said(via ESPN).

“That was the mindset tonight. I was able to make a couple of plays. ... My teammates told me I had 20 and 20. It's the first time I've done it in my career, so that's pretty cool, I guess”. Lakers teammate Anthony Davis praised James, saying, "He just took over down the stretch.

Got us a bucket to get to overtime. ... All our guys, it was a good team effort. This team is not going to go away." Lakers coach Darvin Ham added, "I'm so proud of our guys, the way we fought. We found a way." The fifth meetings in these series will take place in Milwaukee and Los Angeles.