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Heat nip Lakers to remain alive

The Los Angeles Lakers arrived for a coronation. The Miami Heat first insisted on competition.

So on they go in the NBA Finals, Jimmy Butler with no patience for the Lakers turning the league’s quarantine Disney bubble into to champagne bubbles on Friday night.

There will be a Game 6 of the NBA Finals at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Wide World of Sports complex, with the Heat trimming their deficit in the best-of-seven series to 3-2 with a 111-108 victory.

Even with LeBron James as dominant as when he helped lead the Heat to championships in 2012 and ‘13, the Heat again found answers during this magical playoff run that has seen them in the postseason eliminate the Indiana Pacers, top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks and favored Boston Celtics.

“We just played hard and just stayed with it,” Butler said after closing with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists, his second triple-double of this championship series.

It was, in the end, the best of both James and Butler.

James closed with 40 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists, supported by 28 points and 12 rebounds from Anthony Davis.

Butler was supported by 26 points from Duncan Robinson, 14 from Kendrick Nunn, 13 from Bam Adebayo, 11 from Jae Crowder and 10 from Tyler Herro.

The Heat moved to an early 11-point lead and were up 25-24 at the end of the first quarter, 60-54 at halftime and 88-82 going into the fourth.

A 3-pointer by Robinson with 3:16 to play put the Heat up 101-99, with a pair of James free throws with 2:52 to play tying it 101-101.

From there, a jumper by Butler put the Heat up 103-101, before a layup by James with 1:34 left tied it 103-103. Fouled on that play, James finished off the 3-point play for a 104-103 Lakers lead.

Baskets by Butler and James followed, leaving the Lakers up 106-105 with 58.2 seconds to play.

Then, with 46.7 seconds to go, Butler got to the line. At 9 of 9 from the line to that stage, Butler made both foul shots for a 107-106 Heat lead.

A put-back layup by Davis with 21.8 seconds to play off an errant Lakers’ 3-point attempt gave the Lakers the lead back, at 108-107.

But back came Butler, getting to the line with 16.8 seconds left, making both for a 109-108 Heat lead.

A missed 3-pointer by the Lakers’ Danny Green, followed, as the Heat held on.

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