Recap: Heat Hold On to Clinch Season Series vs Celtics, Win 129-121
Brian Babineau | NBAE via Getty Images
After a devastating loss on Sunday, the Celtics hosted the Miami Heat at TD Garden for the second time in a row. Despite a closely contested first half, the Heat blew the Celtics away late in the game, taking home the 129-121 victory.
Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum both had solid outings for the Celtics, putting up 36 and 33 points, respectively. Evan Fournier (20) also helped out in the scoring column in what was another efficient performance. Boston’s bench only managed to contribute 20 in the entire game.
For Miami, it was another well-rounded effort. They had six players in double figures, led by Tyler Herro with 24 points on the night. A hot third quarter from Duncan Robinson also helped lead the charge, as he scored 13 points in that period and was 5-9 from deep on the night. Goran Dragic heated up in the fourth, pouring in PTS points and nailing some deep threes in Boston’s face. Bam Adebayo also posted 22 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
The story of the game was the Celtics’ inability to defend the three-point line. The Heat shot 16-30 (53.3%) from three on the night, and it seemed as though a vast majority of the shots were wide open. Boston continuously went under screens Miami took full advantage of it. This issue really began to rear its ugly head near the start of the fourth quarter.
The entire game was a fairly physical one, with both teams complaining to the refs multiple times. Brad Stevens picked up a technical foul early on and Erik Spoelstra was close to getting one late in the fourth. Bodies were constantly flying and it led to a very chippy ball game.
A fourth-quarter run by the C’s made things interesting, but the Heat were able to hold on. The Celtics are now three games back of Miami for the sixth seed, meaning they will most likely find themselves in the play-in tournament. Boston’s next game will be tomorrow when they take on the Cavaliers at 8:00 p.m. (EST) on NBC Sports Boston.
