The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat 103-91. Jayson Tatum scored 28 points and Jrue Holiday had 25. Andrew Wiggins led Miami with 23 points. Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis were out for the Celtics. Meanwhile, the Heat were without Alec Burks and Nikola Jovic. The Boston Celtics improved to 48-19 with the victory. They also became the third team this season to clinch a playoff spot. The Heat dropped to 29-37, losing their sixth game in a row.
A Back and Forth First Half
The Boston Celtics and the Heat have been rivals in the Eastern Conference over the past few seasons. But this season, the Celtics have soundly beaten Miami in their two previous matchups. This game appeared the same at first. Holiday made a pair of three-pointers and Boston quickly took a double-digit lead. Tatum and Holiday were effective early on, and a few buckets from Payton Pritchard gave them a 14-point lead. But the Heat chipped away, closing the quarter on a 12-5 run. At the end of the first quarter, the Boston Celtics led 30-23.
Miami continued to claw back in the second quarter. Davion Mitchell started them off with an and-one. Boston stayed ahead, as Pritchard knocked down a three and Derrick White threw a transition lob to Luke Kornet. But the Heat were surging. A Mitchell three tied the game at 37 and they proceeded to take the lead. Both teams traded baskets from there. Holiday stayed hot and drilled two more three-pointers, but Tyler Herro answered. At halftime, the game was tied 50-50.
The Boston Celtics got off to a good start but allowed the Heat to hang around and eventually tie the game. Holiday had an excellent first half with 16 points and four three-pointers. He has been dealing with a nagging finger injury, so this shooting performance was encouraging to see, especially as the playoffs get closer. Tatum scored 12 points. Wiggins had 14 points and Herro had 12. Both were integral in getting Miami back into the game after an early deficit. With the score knotted up, it was still anyone’s game in the second half.
The Boston Celtics Pull Ahead
The third quarter was similar to the second, with both teams going back and forth. The Boston Celtics took the lead with another Holiday three, but the Heat responded, taking the lead right back. They stayed ahead for a large portion of the quarter, but it was neck and neck. During this stretch, the largest Miami lead was five points. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Duncan Robinson each made threes to keep them up, but Tatum began to roll. He knocked down a three and a midrange jumper to give the Celtics the lead. They closed the quarter on a 5-0 run. Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics led 78-77.
In the fourth quarter, White took over. After a quiet scoring game, White made multiple big shots to give the Boston Celtics momentum. One of these shots was a deep three-pointer from the logo as the shot clock expired. On a team full of talented players, White has been consistently reliable down the stretch in close games. And going back to previous playoff series, he has a history of great moments against the Heat. Miami stayed within striking distance, but White, Tatum, and Al Horford gave Boston the cushion they needed to win. They beat the Heat 103-91, and with an Atlanta loss, clinched a playoff spot.
Final Thoughts
The Boston Celtics improved to 48-19 with the win. Tatum led with 28 points. Holiday was not far behind with 25. This win made them the third team to clinch a playoff spot this season behind the Cavaliers and the Thunder. The Heat fell to 29-37 and have lost six games in a row. Wiggins had 23 points. The Boston Celtics have defeated Miami in all three of their matchups this season.
