Boston also held an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points. Meanwhile, the Celtics attacked the rim, outscoring the Heat 40-16 in the paint in the opening 24 minutes – the most allowed by Miami in a half this season. He went into intermission with 15 points. His second attempt of the quarter a few minutes later had the same result. The Celtics let Butler get loose early and he made them pay with 12 first-quarter points.īoston’s defense tightened in the second and Butler didn’t take another shot until the 5:45 mark, an airball resulting in a shot clock violation. Miami wound the shot clock down before getting a three-pointer by Butler to rattle in with 1:03 remaining. A Miami miss gave the ball back to Boston, but Tatum was called again for travelling. Tatum travelled, giving the ball back to the Heat. Butler was trapped on the next Miami possession before finding Martin for a corner three. But he connected on just 1 of the 2 free throws. Miami led 114-109 with just over three minutes to play when Brogdon was fouled by Butler. The Heat outscored the Celtics 46-25 in the period and took a 103-91 lead into the fourth, prompting a few boos from the TD Garden crowd.īoston responded, scoring the first seven points of the final period before a 3-pointer by Vincent ended the run. Miami took a page out of the Celtics’ book and used a 13-1 run to quickly erase that gap and then nudged back in front in the third quarter, as Butler penetrated to create opportunities for his teammates. Spoelstra said his team was “more intentional” over the final 24 minutes. Boston dominated inside early on and led by nine at halftime. Wednesday’s opener felt every bit like a continuation of that most recent meeting. Boston won last year’s matchup in seven games. The tip-off of Wednesday’s series marked the third time in four seasons that the Heat and Celtics have met in the conference finals. “We lost our offensive purpose,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. The Celtics, who are at their best when they’re defending and getting up more shots than their opponents, were 10 of 29 from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points, but didn’t take a shot in the fourth quarter. The No 8-seeded Heat have opened all three playoff series with road victories. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the three-point line. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all added 15 points apiece. “Down the stretch Jimmy was able to do everything we needed – as a scorer and as a facilitator.”īam Adebayo added 20 points and eight rebounds. That’s what we needed.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. The Heat have been in the playoffs the last three seasons, making it to the NBA Finals in the 2020 bubble, and the Eastern Conference Finals in 21-22. He made all three free throws for a 1-point lead.“One of the premier two-way basketball players of this association. They still had a chance thanks to Caleb Martin, who slid into the starting lineup and scored 21 points, and Butler, who asserted himself late and was fouled attempting a 3-pointer with 3 seconds remaining. They missed hook shots and layups, jumpers and floaters. In the fourth quarter, for example, Adebayo grabbed the rim blocking a shot, which was against the rules and led to a 4-point possession for the Celtics.Īs a team, the Heat shot 35.5 percent from the field. A few seconds later, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum was at the other end for a layup.īut other plays could haunt the Heat, too. But instead of driving, Butler shoved a pass to Duncan Robinson, who had little choice but to hoist a runner from 11 feet that grazed the front of the rim. There he was in the second quarter, handling the ball at the top of the perimeter with the shot clock winding down. Where to begin? Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, their two best players, combined to shoot 9 of 37 from the field.īutler, in particular, looked downright passive for much of the game. It was a public vote of confidence after a game full of missed opportunities for the Heat.
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