Celtics Heat Up Just In Time To Beat Miami
Boston matched every Miami Heat run with one that was just as strong, before Jayson Tatum and company finished them off down the stretch with strong play in the fourth.
The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat are two of the better teams in the East, the last two teams standing last season before Boston advanced to the NBA Finals.
But judging by all the empty seats less than 10 minutes before tip-off, you would have thought it was a preseason game between a couple of NBA celler dwellers.
The Miami Heat fanbase is known for being uh, fashionably late to games.
And on this night, the same could be said for the Boston Celtics after opening the game on the short end of a 9-4 run.
Boston soon regained its composure and control of the game as they pulled away in the fourth for a 111-104 win.
The Heat rallied in the third quarter to take a brief lead that soon disappeared courtesy of back-to-back baskets by Jayson Tatum.
He led all scorers with 29 points.
Miami, trailing 75-71 after Tatum's back-to-back baskets, called a time-out with 4:25 to play in the third.
Boston continued to assert control of the game with a mix of timely shot-making and a slew of defensive stops to push their lead back to double-digits, 89-77, going into the fourth.
In a rematch of last season's Eastern Conference finals, many of the hallmarks of that series - physical play, mostly - were on display once again.
And just like Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals that was played on this same floor and won by Boston, the sparse crowd shortly before tip-off was similar to those Miami Heat fans who exited early.
STAR
Jayson Tatum: One of the most important stretches came in the third quarter after Miami took the lead, and Tatum responded with five straight. It was that kind of game for the All-Star forward who finished with 29 points on 10-for-22 shooting.
STUDS
Jaylen Brown: For the second time in as many games, Brown delivered an extremely efficient performance shooting the ball. He would tally 28 points on 12-for-18 shooting from the field.
Kyle Lowry: The points and assists don't do justice to the impact Kyle Lowry has on the game. He is one of the craftiest guards in the NBA, utilizing angles to draw fouls, work the refs to get his share of the 50/50 calls and maybe most important, knock down open shots when they're there for the taking. He would finish the game with 17 points, six assists, and three steals.
Grant Williams: He wasn't perfect shooting the ball from the field tonight, but his presence and impact played a role in Boston getting the victory. Williams came off the bench and scored 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting to go with seven rebounds.
Tyler Herro: Despite Boston's best efforts, they could not generate the kind of scoring they were looking for as one Celtic after another attacked Herro's greatest weakness - his defense. Herro was able to lean on what he does best, getting buckets, as he led the Heat with 25 points and six rebounds.
UH-UHS
Jimmy Butler: The numbers for Jimmy Butler looked good - 18 points on 9-for-17 shooting with seven rebounds and five assists and a steal. But impact more than numbers, has defined Butler's NBA career. And in this game, Butler's imprint was never there.
Celtics Turnovers: Boston was able to get the win despite turning the ball over 20 times which led to 23 Miami Heat points. But making that number of mistakes and still winning is not sustainable. You can bet this will be one of the main talking points among the players and staff heading into Saturday night's game at Orlando.