Jimmy Butler's Takeover Exhilarates NBA Fans as Heat Win vs. Mikal Bridges, Nets

It only took 12 regular-season games for Playoff Jimmy to show up in Miami.

Butler scored 36 points as he led the Miami Heat to a 122-115 Thursday night win over Mikal Bridges and the Brooklyn Nets.

Butler recorded his season-high points total on 12-of-19 shooting. Bridges led the Nets with 23 points in the loss.

The victory marked Miami's seventh straight win, which started to feel inevitable as the Heat surged out to a double-digit lead in the third quarter.

That was in large part thanks to an 18-point quarter from Butler, which included a run of 10 straight.

Butler's dominant third quarter gave the Heat enough of a cushion to hold off a push from the Nets late in the game.

It was Butler's second straight 30-point performance. The Heat star also put up a 32-ball during Miami's Tuesday win over the Charlotte Hornets.

Fans were thrilled by the regular-season performance from Butler, who famously tends to save his best basketball for the playoffs.

Duncan Robinson, who slipped out of the Heat's starting lineup last season, also shone with 26 points in the win.

The Heat improved to 8-4 on the season and will now look for their eighth straight victory on the road Saturday night against the Chicago Bulls.

The Nets fall to 6-6 with the loss. Next they will head back to Brooklyn for a Sunday home game against the Philadelphia 76ers.