The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics 124-103. This was a surprising blowout, led by Tyler Herro, who had 25 points. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 24 points. Both teams were shorthanded entering this game. The Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford. Meanwhile, Andrew Wiggins, Duncan Robinson, Kevin Love, and Nikola Jovic were out for the Heat. Miami won their sixth straight game, snapping Boston’s nine-game win streak. The Heat improved to 35-41, and the Boston Celtics dropped to 56-20.
The Boston Celtics’ Poor Start
The Boston Celtics had dominated the Heat in their three previous matchups, but it was close in the first quarter. Herro got to his spots and knocked down shots. For Boston, Luke Kornet was the starting center and scored their first four points. He was aggressive on the offensive glass, giving the Celtics many second chances. Brown also returned to the lineup after missing a few games and was eager to find his rhythm. But Miami was hitting shots while Boston was not generating offense.
They went on a 12-2 run to build a lead. At the end of the first quarter, the Heat led 29-22. Herro had 8 points. Kornet led the Celtics with 10. Miami extended their lead to double digits in the second quarter. Bam Adebayo began to roll, and the Boston Celtics offense remained stagnant. The Heat were making shots, getting to the free-throw line, and playing good defense.
They took a 14-point lead after Joe Mazzulla got a technical foul. The Celtics briefly brought it to single digits, but the lack of shot-making squandered any hope of a first-half comeback. Haywood Highsmith drilled a corner three to bring the first half to a close. Miami led 59-45. The Heat played a great first half. They forced seven Boston turnovers by playing tenacious defense, and on offense, they were attacking the basket and making timely shots.
Herro had 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting. Highsmith was 4-of-6 off the bench for 10 points, and Adebayo scored 9. For the Boston Celtics, it was one of their worst halves of the season. They shot 37.2% from the field and an ugly 16.7% from three. Kornet still led with 10 points. Jayson Tatum had 8 but shot 1-of-8. Brown shot 3-0f-9 for 7 points. And the defense had multiple lazy stretches. Someone needed to step up if they wanted any chance of a comeback.
The Heat Hold Off Comeback
Things didn’t look much better for the Boston Celtics in the third quarter. The Heat quickly pushed their lead to 20 with an Adebayo three and an Alec Burks and-one. They started the quarter on a 10-2 run, seemingly putting the game out of reach. Miami rookie Pelle Larson took over for a stretch, getting a posterizing dunk and knocking down a three. He was out-hustling everyone on the Celtics, but suddenly Derrick White and Tatum hit a few threes.
Boston went on a 14-1 run, capped with a Brown three-pointer. Shots were finally falling from everyone, and they brought the game to single digits. The Boston Celtics surge brought the deficit all the way down to three with a Brown and-one. But Miami recollected from there, going back up by ten. The Celtics made a run, but at the end, they still trailed by double digits going into the final quarter. Through three quarters, the Heat led 91-81.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics opened the fourth quarter with a 6-0 run. But, again, Miami answered with a spurt of their own. Kyle Anderson heated up, and the Heat maintained their lead. They went back up by double digits with six minutes to go. Larson then made a three, capping off an 8-0 run. Davion Mitchell hit a three after that, and the lead was back to 15. This run effectively sealed the game, and the Celtics pulled their starters. Miami built on their lead against the reserves and won 124-103.
The Heat improved to 35-41 with the win. Herro led the team with 25 points and 9 assists. Adebayo had 21 points. Anderson scored 19 points off the bench on 7-of-11 shooting. They staved off multiple Boston comeback attempts and shot 46.7% from three. The Boston Celtics fell to 56-20 with the loss, ending their nine-game winning streak. Brown scored 24 points, but most Celtics were inefficient, as the team shot 27.9% from three. Any time they made a run, they gave one up on the other end. The Boston Celtics drop the last game of the season series, winning 3-1.
