MAY 1, 2024 — The 2023-24 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the action continues as we move into some of the latter stages of a few first-round series. One of the games on tap from today’s slate features the Boston Celtics (67-19) hosting the Miami Heat (48-40).
Here is a look at how the two teams have performed through the first four games of this series.
Tipoff
When: Wednesday, May 1, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
TV: TNT
Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat – Series Recap & Trends
Can The Celtics Close Out The Heat in Five?
After cruising to a 20-point victory in the series opener, the Boston Celtics were stunned by the Heat in Game 2 by a 111-101 margin. But since that setback, Boston has posted consecutive victories and has a chance to close out the series at home.
In the team’s Game 4 win, Derrick White scored a team-high (and career-high) 38 points, along with four rebounds and three assists. He shot 15-for-26 from the floor and converted eight of his 15 attempts from beyond the arc.
The duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown struggled from the field in this one. Tatum finished with 20 points, 11 boards, and five assists on 5-for-14 from the floor. Brown added 17 points but was just 7-for-18 from the floor for a Celtics squad that shot just 41.9 percent from the field.
Kristaps Porzingis has been ruled out with a right soleus strain — the same injury that has prevented Giannis Antetokounmpo from playing in the postseason. Despite his absence, the team’s mentality remains the same.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla shared the following on the series in an interview:
Nothing changes. Bringing the same mindset, intentionality, toughness, details to the next game regardless of who’s available. It doesn’t matter. There’s no difference between the regular season and the playoffs. And all year, we’ve had guys step in and play.
Can The Heat Stave Off Boston Celtics Elimination?
On the other side of the matchup, the Heat have had a difficult time keeping up with the league’s top team, and that is putting it nicely.
In their 102-88 loss to the Boston Celtics in Game 4, Bam Adebayo paced the offense with 25 points on 11-for-22 shooting from the field. He also pulled down 17 rebounds (including four on the offensive glass) and handed out five assists.
Tyler Herro added 19 points, four rebounds and four assists. Caleb Martin contributed 18 points and five rebounds for a Heat team that shot just 40.7 percent from the field.
One factor that has contributed to the Heat’s consecutive losses is slow starts. They scored 39 points in the first half of Game 3. They followed that up with a 36-point effort in the first half of Game 4 — a trend that must change if they have any hopes of pulling out another win in this series.
Miami has proven resilient over the past few seasons. But with multiple players out of the rotation and facing a team that has beaten them by an average of 18 points per contest in this series, the odds of this going to a sixth game are very slim against the Boston Celtics.
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