Recap: A Tale of Two Halves Comes Back to Bite Boston, Fall to Miami 130-126
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The Celtics welcomed the Heat to TD Garden for game one of a two-game mini-series with major implications. After a disastrous first half, the Celtics were unable to complete another late-game comeback, losing 130-124.
Miami was able to get contributions from a ton of different places, with six different players scoring in double figures. Jimmy Butler led the team with 26 points, followed by Duncan Robinson (22) and Bam Adebayo (20). The Heat were on fire from everywhere on the floor, shooting 47-82 (57.3%) from the field and 16-35 (45.7%) from deep.
The Celtics also scored well across the board, but Evan Fournier stood out as the focal point of the offense. He ended the game with 30 points on 11-16 shooting from the field and 7-11 shooting from three. Jayson Tatum (29), Kemba Walker (18), Marcus Smart (16), and Aaron Nesmith (16) also pitched in solid performances.
Boston’s real issues came in the first half. They could only scrape together a measly four three-pointers on 18 attempts (22.2%). Meanwhile, the Heat shot 11-20 (55%) from that range. The Celtics’ defense just was not up to par as Miami poured on 79 first-half points.
Per usual, Boston made a second-half push. They outscored the Heat 71-51 in the second half, cutting down what was once a 26-point deficit to single digits. This time, however, it was too little too late. Jimmy Butler nailed his first three since April 13 (0-15 in last 10 games) as the Heat responded late in the fourth. The C’s exerted so much energy making the comeback that they were unable to complete it.
In what ended up being a tale of two halves, the Heat won a crucial game. They are now two full games ahead of the Celtics in the Eastern Conference standings. The winner of their next game will hold the tiebreaker for the year.
Boston’s chance at revenge will come this Tuesday when they take on Miami for the third, and final, time this season. That one tips off at 7:30 p.m. (EST) on TNT.
