Miami Heat: Top 5 individual performances to date in 2019-20

1. Jimmy Butler, Dec. 3 at Toronto Raptors

Defending champions, on the road, overtime game.

The Heat’s victory over the Toronto Raptors was one of the clear early-season signs that this was a team to be reckoned with. And to no surprise, it was Jimmy Butler who was front and center of the action.

In 41 minutes, Butler posted his first triple-double in a Heat uniform with 22 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists as he fully displayed the impact he has made on the franchise this season.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1202251245123198976?s=20

Having missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer to win the game in regulation, Butler quickly made amends in posting eight points in the opening minute of overtime, keeping Toronto at bay for the remainder of the game in the process.

Butler was incredibly aggressive, with his 21 drives well beyond his 13.3 average leading into the game. From these drives, Butler dished out four assists while also converting on five of six attempts at the charity stripe.

After the game, coach Spoelstra was full of praise for Butler’s performance — via Fox Sports Florida & Suns:

"“He has an ability to draw fouls, to score off the dribble, at the rim, pull-ups, so he can manufacture his own shot at the end of the clock….and he can also set up other guys, he’s very unselfish.”"

At the defensive end of the floor, Butler held All-Star Kyle Lowry to 0-of-7 shooting from the field, with his 96.5 defensive rating ranking tops amongst Miami’s starting five. Most importantly, it was his steal and dunk in the overtime period that ultimately put the game away for good.

So in a season thus far filled with several elite performances, Butler’s triple-double on the road against the defending champions took the top billing.