Jimmy Butler Was Great -

Mark J. Terrill / AP / SIPA

The men lie, the numbers don't.

You surely know this stupid adage and we will readily admit that in the case of Jimmy Butler, there is a great deal of truth.

The Heat leader took matters into his own hands in the absence of Bam Adebayo and Goran Dragic by offering himself a triple double of space (40 pts, 11 rebounds, 13 assists) to lead his family to victory against the Lakers (115-104).

Miami returns at the same time to 2-1 against an LA that was said to be well on its way to the final.

Jimmy Butler's historic 40-point triple-double in Game 3 makes it a 2-1 series in the #NBAFinals!

#SAPStatLineOfTheNight pic.twitter.com/idpZpYdbIc

- NBA.com/Stats (@nbastats) October 5, 2020

But back to Butler.

After match 2, he told his people not to give up, to play harder.

He showed the example and his partners followed him to succeed in relaunching this final.

It was seen on the floor.

In his wake, Kelly Olynyk and Tyler Herro added 17 points each.

And above all: Miami played better than its opponent, put more ingredients too, showing the envy of those who do not want to say their last word, under penalty of returning home very quickly.

LeBron James beefy, Davis in a hurry

The Heat have always dominated, leaving the Lakers the leisure to lead only rarely and by very few points.

The latter were only deluded thanks to the still total involvement of LeBron James, who again touched the triple double (25 pts, 10 rebounds, 8 assists).

The "King" held the house when Anthony Davis was going through a catastrophic first period, losing 5 balls, catching 3 faults early on, which further limited his playing time and disrupted the smooth running of the Lakers' offensive plan.

In the second half, AD woke up (15 points) but not as much as it should have been, so much so that it was far from its usual standards.

And that made the difference in accounting terms.

The time is not yet for doubts on the LA side, but this setback sounds like a warning as Californians have sometimes lacked energy and application.

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NBA: The Lakers continue against Miami thanks to an Anthony Davis on fire and lead 2-0

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