Celtics Wilt Under the Heat of Miami, now forced to play a winner-moves-on Game 7

Jimmy Butler's near triple-double of 47 points, nine rebounds and eight assists along with Kyle Lowry's double-double (18 points, 10 assists) has Boston on the precipice of their season ending.

For most of this season, the Boston Celtics have had their issues when it came to handling prosperity.

A chance to go to the NBA Finals with a win at home against a battered Miami Heat team.

It doesn’t get much better than that, right?

And there were the Celtics, failing to come up with the necessary plays all game long, long enough for the Miami Heat to hold on for a 111-103 win to force a winner-moves-on Game 7 in Miami on Sunday with the winner advancing to the NBA Finals where a well-rested Golden State Warriors will be waiting.

This was a game in which Miami led for most of the night, getting a dominant performance from Jimmy Butler who led all players with 47 points in 46 minutes, as part of a near triple-double with nine rebounds and eight assists.

In each quarter, Boston would show flashes of the team that had played so well for so long in this series, only for the resilient Miami Heat to manufacture points from the usual suspect - Butler - who got some much-needed help from his supporting cast.

Each of the first three quarters ended with the Celtics playing catchup, which included a seven-point deficit heading into the decisive fourth quarter.

Boston spent the fourth quarter playing catch-up but took the lead briefly following a 3-pointer by Derrick White that put Boston ahead 97-94.

The Heat, as they had done all game, responded with a spurt of their own to regain the lead with five straight from Kyle Lowry.

Lowry would eventually foul out, but that wasn’t where the game turned in Miami’s favor for good.

That would be a pair of missed free throws by Jaylen Brown with the score tied at 99.

Miami would score six straight and never look back as they evened the series up to force a Game 7 matchup in Miami.

Here are the Stars, Studs and Duds from Boston’s Game 6 loss.

STARS

Jimmy Butler: It didn’t matter who the Boston Celtics had as the primary defender against Jimmy Butler. Jimmy Buckets was not going to be denied. He would lead all scorers with a game-high 47 points to go with nine rebounds and eight assists.

Jayson Tatum: In Boston’s previous three elimination games this year, Tatum has shot better than 50 percent from the field. Game 6 was no exception as Tatum had one of his most efficient shooting games ever, scoring 30 points on 9-for-12 shooting from the field.

STUDS

Kyle Lowry: After literally doing nothing scoring-wise in Game 5, Lowry bounced back with a strong performance for the Heat. He would finish with a double-double of 18 points and 10 assists before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

Jaylen Brown: The turnovers that have plagued Brown were not as big an issue as we’ve seen in past games, and he was getting to his spots offensively for most of the game. For the game, Brown had 20 points to go with six rebounds and five assists.

Max Strus: After being a non-factor in Game 5, the former Boston Celtic was an X-factor in Game 6. He would finish with 13 points which included a trio of 3-pointers.

Derrick White: With both teams getting little scoring punch from their respective benches, Derrick White’s scoring kept the Celtics afloat when the offense bogged down in the second half. He led all reserves in scoring with 22 points while grabbing three rebounds and dishing out five assists.

DUDS

Al Horford: For most of Boston’s playoff run, Al Horford has been the model of consistency, checking off all the major boxes on a game-in, game-out basis. But early foul trouble torpedoed any hopes of a big Game 6 from Horford’s lone shot was a big one in the fourth quarter, but his inability to significantly impact the game as he had done for most of the playoffs, was just too much for the Celtics to overcome. He would finish with three points.