The legend of Playoff Jimmy Butler continues to grow.
In Game 4 with the Heat already up on the Bucks 2-1, Butler turned in a Herculean effort at the Kaseya Center, scoring a ridiculous 56 points in the Heat's 119-114 victory to put the No. 1-seeded Bucks on the brink of elimination.
Butler's 56 points set a new career-high at the most opportune time for the Heat, topping his previous marks of 53 in the regular season and 47 in the playoffs. It also added to a long list of ridiculous Butler performances in the playoffs.
While Butler set some personal milestones with his huge game on Monday, he worked his way to some NBA record books as well. Butler's 56 points put him in some truly elite company, and it tied for fourth all-time in a single NBA playoff game.
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Here's what to know about Butler's big night.
Most points in an NBA playoff game
Butler now finds himself tied with Charles Barkley, Michael Jordan, and Wilt Chamberlain for fourth all-time in single playoff-game points. It's also tied for the second-most points in a playoff win.
| Date | Player | Points | Team | Opponent | Result |
| April 20, 1986 | Michael Jordan | 63 | Chicago Bulls | Boston Celtics | Loss, 135-131 |
| April 14, 1962 | Elgin Baylor | 61 | Los Angles Lakers | Boston Celtics | Win, 126-121 |
| August 17, 2020 | Donovan Mitchell | 57 | Utah Jazz | Denver Nuggets | Loss, 135-125 |
| April 24, 2023 | Jimmy Butler | 56 | Miami Heat | Milwaukee Bucks | Win, 119-114 |
| May 4, 1994 | Charles Barkley | 56 | Phoenix Suns | Golden State Warriors | Win, 140-133 |
| April 29, 1992 | Michael Jordan | 56 | Chicago Bulls | Miami Heat | Win, 119-114 |
| March 22, 1962 | Wilt Chamberlain | 56 | Philadelphia Warriors | Syracuse Nationals | Win, 121-104 |
| June 1, 2021 | Damian Lillard | 55 | Portland Trail Blazers | Denver Nuggets | Loss, 147-140 |
| April 20, 2003 | Allen Iverson | 55 | Philadelphia 76ers | New Orleans Hornets | Win, 98-90 |
| April 27, 1997 | Michael Jordan | 55 | Chicago Bulls | Washington Bullets | Win, 109-104 |
| June 16, 1993 | Michael Jordan | 55 | Chicago Bulls | Phoenix Suns | Win, 111-105 |
| May 1, 1998 | Michael Jordan | 55 | Chicago Bulls | Cleveland Cavaliers | Win, 106-101 |
| April 18, 1967 | Rick Barry | 55 | San Francisco Warriors | Philadelphia 76ers | Win, 130-124 |
Butler came just short of becoming the third 60-point game in playoff history, but ultimately, the win is undoubtedly worth it.
Jimmy Butler career high points in NBA playoff game
Playoff Butler is becoming a mythical NBA figure himself. This is his seventh 40-point game in the playoffs in his career, with all of them coming in 2020 or later.
MORE: 'Playoff Jimmy' delivers historic postseason performance in Game 4 win
Butler also passed Dwyane Wade for the most 40-plus point games in Heat history at seven. He came into this game tied with Wade at six. There have been 17 40-plus games in Heat postseason history, with all of them coming form Butler, Wade, and LeBron James.
| Date | Points | Opponent | Result |
| April 24, 2023 | 56 | Milwaukee Bucks | Win, 119-114 |
| May 27, 2022 | 47 | Boston Celtics | Win, 111-103 |
| April 19, 2022 | 45 | Atlanta Hawks | Win, 115-105 |
| May 17, 2022 | 41 | Boston Celtics | Win, 118-107 |
| May 8, 2022 | 40 | Philadelphia 76ers | Loss, 116-108 |
| Oct. 4, 2020 | 40 | Los Angeles Lakers | Win, 115-104 |
| Aug. 30, 2020 | 40 | Milwaukee Bucks | Win, 115-104 |
The thing about Butler is that, with just one exception, if he scores 40, the Heat win. The Bucks now have to find a way to contain him in Game 5 in Milwaukee Wednesday. If they can't, they may find themselves just the fifth No. 1 seed to be eliminated in the first round of the postseason at the hands of No. 8.