The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 103-85. Jayson Tatum led with 33 points, scoring 20 in the third quarter. Both teams were shorthanded entering this matchup. The Celtics were without Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday, and Torrey Craig, while the Heat were missing Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. The Boston Celtics improved to 38-16, and the Heat fell to 25-26.
A Back-and-Forth First Half
The Boston Celtics defeated the Heat in their first meeting, but Miami jumped out to an early lead in this game. Their new trade deadline acquisitions, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell, scored their first few points. Boston was cold shooting the ball, and the Heat were hot. Bam Adebayo was giving the Celtics problems and pushed Miami’s lead to double digits. In the opening quarter, Boston shot an abysmal 6-of-25 and 2-of-18 from three. It was one of their worst shooting performances of the season. At the end of the first quarter, the Heat led 24-18. Adebayo had 9 points, and Kristaps Porzingis had 6.
Despite their poor shooting, Boston’s defense got them back in the game. They took the lead on a 10-0 run to open the second quarter. Sam Hauser gave them a spark, catching fire with four three-pointers. This inspired the rest of the team. They were creating turnovers that led to transition baskets, making timely cuts, and the shots were finally falling. Now, Boston was the team up by double digits, while Miami couldn’t hit a shot. Adebayo banked in a miracle three at the buzzer, cutting into the deficit. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 52-43.
After an ice-cold start, the Boston Celtics rebounded in the second quarter. Hauser stepped up in the absence of multiple starters, making five three-pointers in the first half. Derrick White and Porzingis each had 10 points. Tatum wasn’t shooting well but had 9 points in the half. Adebayo led Miami with 16 points and seven rebounds in the first half. The Heat were shooting poorly, especially in the second quarter, but ended the half on a 7-0 run. With how varied the shooting had been for both teams, it was still anyone’s game.
The Boston Celtics Pull Ahead
The Heat started the third quarter with three-pointers from Wiggins and Alec Burks. The Celtics answered with threes from Tatum and Al Horford. Tatum began to roll, and the Celtics went on a 16-5 run. Tatum had an explosive third quarter against the Knicks and repeated that in this game. Three-pointers were dropping, and he got to the rim with ease. When he got to the rim, he would finish strong through contact. His efforts put Boston up by as many as 23. White then hit a buzzer-beating three, and through three quarters, the Boston Celtics led 88-65. Tatum scored 20 in the quarter.
Tatum’s scoring gave the Boston Celtics a large lead for the final quarter. Miami was still hustling for rebounds and playing tough defense, but their shots were not falling. Boston’s offense was not doing much, but they were doing enough to maintain their lead. Tatum continued to get to his spots while Horford and others made shots when they had to. Boston pulled their starters in the final minutes and coasted to victory. The only time Miami brought the deficit within 20 points was in the final 30 seconds. The Boston Celtics won the game 103-85.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 38-16 with the win. It was another enjoyable instance where Tatum took over and won his team the game. He finished with 33 points and every Celtics starter scored in the double digits. Porzingis had 17, Horford had 16, Hauser had 15, and White had 13. The Heat dropped to 25-26 with the loss. Adebayo scored 22 points with 12 rebounds. After the first quarter, the Boston Celtics took over the game and got a big win.
