The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 108-89, earning their 17th win of the season in dominant fashion. Jaylen Brown scored 29 points, while Payton Pritchard scored 25 off the bench. Both teams were shorthanded on the second night of a back-to-back. The Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Sam Hauser. Meanwhile, the Heat missed Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love, Nikola Jovic, and Josh Richardson. The Boston Celtics improved to 17-4 with the victory, while the Miami Heat fell to 9-10.
The Boston Celtics Pull Ahead
Both teams ran different starting lineups because of their injuries. The Boston Celtics started Luke Kornet and Jordan Walsh, and the Miami Heat started Duncan Robinson and Jaime Jaquez Jr. The Heat jumped out to a 7-0 lead, but the Celtics responded by going on a 17-2 run. The game stayed close, though, as both teams had shooting struggles and went back and forth. A Tatum three put the Boston Celtics ahead 28-25 at the end of the first quarter. Tyler Herro led the Miami Heat with 9 points. Tatum scored 8 points for the Celtics, while Jaylen Brown and Kornet had 6.
In the second quarter, the Boston Celtics began to build a lead. Payton Pritchard heated up as he has in many recent games and their defense tightened up. Pritchard’s sparkplug caused other Celtics to catch fire. Derrick White hit a couple threes and Tatum and Brown continued to attack. The Heat struggled shooting the ball, shooting 33.3% from the field and 16.7% from three. Boston pushed their lead to double digits and led by as much as 17. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 60-45. Pritchard and Brown led the Celtics with 16 points apiece. Pritchard was shooting 4-of-7 from three. Jaquez got to the free throw line in the second quarter and was up to 13 points for Miami.
Celtics Cruise to Victory
The Miami Heat came out firing in the third quarter. The Boston Celtics came out of halftime with lackluster energy, turning the ball over on consecutive possessions and allowing their lead to shrink. In no time, the Heat were back within single digits on a 7-0 run, but Boston quickly responded, partly due to the defensive effort of Kornet. Kornet had a whopping six blocks through three quarters and was a force defending the paint. This defense transitioned into good offense and shots began to fall for Boston.
It was not a perfect quarter for the Celtics, however, as they continued to turn the ball over in sloppy ways. Still, their lead grew as the Heat’s shooting struggles continued. A Pritchard bucket at the buzzer gave Boston a large 22-point lead heading into the fourth quarter. The Boston Celtics led 85-63.
In the fourth quarter, Boston looked to put the dagger in. White nailed two quick threes to stop an early Miami run. The Celtics then went on a 12-3 run of their own, growing their lead even more. A positive for the Heat was that Bam Adebayo finally got rolling in the fourth quarter after a quiet game, but it was too little too late. Both teams put in their bench units down the stretch, and it was all but over. With injuries on both sides, many players who don’t get playing time got their chance in this game. When the final buzzer sounded, the Boston Celtics won 108-89.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 17-4 with the win. Jaylen Brown led the team with 29 points. Payton Pritchard had another big game off the bench, scoring 25. White scored 19 points and Tatum had 18, while Kornet finished with 6 points and 6 blocks. The Miami Heat dropped to 9-10 with the loss. Herro and Jaquez scored 19 points apiece and Adebayo finished with 15. It was a much-needed win for the Boston Celtics, who cruised to victory with multiple key players out.
