The Boston Celtics had four players score 20 or more points on Saturday night, and led wire to wire en route to a 117-106 win over the Miami Heat in game three of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. Miami still leads the best of seven series 2-1.
Boston knowing they were in a must win game, got off once again to a solid start. The Celtics hit seven of their first ten shots and on a Jayson Tatum three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left they built the advantage to 31-22 after one. Gordon Hayward also returned to action for the first time since a grade three ankle sprain on August 17 in game two of a first round sweep over Philadelphia. The Celts would go up 12 early in the second on a Kemba Walker three-pointer, before Miami would pull within 40-37 helped by a three-pointer from Kendrick Nunn and two from behind the arc from Tyler Herro. Boston would extend it back to eight, before the Heat once again cut it to a three point deficit when Herro knocked in another one from long distance. The green turned up the defense though for some easy fast break baskets and would end the first half on an 12-2 run and take their biggest lead in the opening 24 minutes by a score of 63-50 at the break.
The Celtics were determined to have a better second half that they did in the losses in game one and two. They started the third quarter like they did the first hitting seven of their first ten shots again, eventually building the lead to 19. Miami again with no quit would use an 11-1 spurt over a span of 3:35 to cut it into single digits at 82-73. Boston closed out the quarter strongly outscoring the Heat 7-1 over the final 1:08 to push it back to 15 at 89-74 headed for the fourth. The Celtics would finally look to put it away going up 20 on a Marcus Smart three point play with 7:13 left in the game. The pesky Miami team again had no quit in them however getting within five after Duncan Robinson converted 1-2 from the line with 1:03 remaining after Jaylen Brown committed a flagrant offensive foul, and on the ensuing possession Bam Adebayo scored an easy one inside. Boston would put the game away from the foul line as Smart hit 8-8 in the final 46.9 seconds.
Brown would lead the way in the win for Boston with 26 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Tatum had a double double with 25 points, 14 rebounds, and eight assists. Walker added 21 points and six rebounds, while Smart finished with 20 points, four rebounds, and six assists. Hayward played 30 minutes and had six points, five rebounds, and four assists and looked really good returning from injury. Boston is now 16-1 this season when Brown scores 25 or more points. Adebayo filled up the stat sheet in only the second loss in the playoffs for Miami with a game high 27 points, 16 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Herro also had 22 points. The Celtics will attempt to tie up the series when game four tips off Wednesday night at 8:30 p.m.
