He fractured a facial bone late in the regular season. … Brown wore his black protective mask after going without it for the final two games of their semifinals matchup with the 76ers. With the score tied at 47, Boston outscored Miami 19-10 over the final 5:26 of the half. It marked the seventh time Butler has reached double figures in the first period this postseason.Ĭeltics: Marcus Smart finished with 13 points and 11 assists. … Butler (12) and Adebayo (6) combined for 18 of Miami’s 28 points in the first quarter. … Lowry hit 5 of his first 6 shots, scoring 13 points in his first nine minutes of action. Heat: Miami's previous high in the playoffs was 43 points in a quarter against Charlotte in 2016. The Heat are the fifth team to open with road wins in each of their first three series, joining the 2021 Hawks, 1999 Knicks, 1989 Bulls and 1981 Rockets. “More than anything, we are staying together through the good and through the bad.” “We are just playing really good basketball,” Butler said. Miami wound the shot clock down before getting a 3-pointer by Butler to rattle in with 1:03 remaining.īut everything changed in the second half. 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 3. 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. During the next timeout Mazzulla was captured by broadcast cameras throwing a clipboard in frustration.īoston couldn't stop the onslaught and Miami then nudged back in front as Butler penetrated to create opportunities for his teammates. Miami took a page out of the Celtics' book and used a 13-1 run to quickly erase that gap, tying the game at 78 in the third quarter. 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 the series marked the third time in four seasons that the Heat and Celtics have met in this round. “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. “You’ve still got to play the game, you’ve got to make plays, regardless of whether you’re home or away.” “I don’t know why,” Tatum said of their home struggles. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points.īoston is just 4-4 at home during this postseason. 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. 8-seeded Heat have opened all three playoff series with road victories. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the 3-point line. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, 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. “One of the premier two-way basketball players of this association. It was Butler's fifth game with 30 or more points this postseason and he added seven assists, six steals and five rebounds. Miami trailed by nine at the half before turning it around with a franchise playoff-record 46 points in the third and outscoring Boston 66-50 over the final two quarters. I think that’s what any basketball player wants.” They are trusting me with the ball, on the defensive end. “They are not putting a limit on my game. "I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so," Butler said. 2023 NBA Western Conference Finals Preview: Schedule, TV Channel, Start Times
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