NBA play-offs: Miami Heat reach Eastern final as LeBron James helps Lakers to win

The Miami Heat reached the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2014 with a 4-1 series win over the Milwaukee Bucks in Florida.

The Heat found points from all over the court as six players hit double figures to seal a 103-94 victory.

They have not reached the Eastern finals since being led by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade six years ago.

James, meanwhile, scored 36 points for the Los Angeles Lakers as they took a 2-1 lead over the Houston Rockets.

The 112-102 win in the best-of-seven Western Conference semi-final series saw James set a new NBA record of 162 play-off victories, across his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Miami Heat and the Lakers.

“It says that I’ve played with a lot of great teams,” said James, who won two NBA titles with the Heat and one with the Cavaliers. “It says that I’ve played with a lot of great team-mates and some great coaches.”

In Tuesday’s other game in Orlando, the Bucks were left missing the injured Giannis Antetokounmpo as they exited in the play-offs despite registering the highest points tally in the regular season for the second campaign in a row.

It means the Heat will now play reigning champions the Toronto Raptors or the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference final. The Celtics lead the series 3-2, needing one more win to progress.

Asked about reaching the conference final for the first time since marquee pair Wade and James wore the Heat jersey, small forward Jimmy Butler said: “It means a lot. But that’s not my goal.

“That’s not my guys’ goal. That’s not the organisation’s goal. We want to win it.”