Jimmy Butler scored a game-high 35 points (20 in the second half), and the Miami Heat outscored the Boston Celtics 46-25 in the third quarter on Wednesday night in rallying to take game one of the Eastern Conference Finals 123-116 at TD Garden.
In a rematch of last seasons Eastern Conference Finals won by Boston in seven games, neither team led by more than four points for a majority of the first half. The Celtics would stretch the lead out with a 20-5 run that covered a span of 4:44 in the second quarter to take what turned out to be the largest lead of the game at 62-49. A three-pointer by Al Horford, two Marcus Smart assists (10 in first half) for easy layups by Malcolm Brogdon and Horford, and a Jayson Tatum three point play was all part of the spurt. The C’s put four players in double figures in the opening 24 minutes and outscored Miami 40-16 in the paint. 15 points by Butler and 13 from Kyle Lowry (3-4 three-pointers in the second quarter) kept the Heat within striking distance at the break 66-57.
The third quarter was all Miami, and Boston could never recover. After Smart hit a three-pointer to push the lead back to 12 for his team, the Heat went on a 20-7 run to take the lead for good 79-78 on a three point play on a tip-in by Butler who was also fouled at the rim. Max Strus hit a three-pointer from the corner in the final seconds of the period to make it 103-91 in favor of the visitors heading to the fourth. The Celtics got within four with 2:31 play, but it just wasn’t enough as three-pointers by Caleb Martin and Butler would ice the victory for the #8 seed Miami.
Tatum led Boston in the loss with 30 points and seven rebounds. Jaylen Brown had 22 points, nine rebounds, and five assists. Tatum (4) and Brown (6) combined for 10 turnovers. Brogdon added 19 off the bench, Robert Williams III had 14, and Smart finished with 13 points. Williams III had seven rebounds, and Smart ended up with 11 assists with only one in the second half. Butler would chip in five rebounds, seven assists, and six steals to go along with his game-high point total in the Miami win. Bam Adebayo had 20 points, eight rebounds, and five assists. Strus, Lowry, Martin, and Gabe Vincent all scored 15 points a piece. The Heat were very proficient from three-point territory at 51.6% (16-31), while the Celtics went 34.5% (10-29). Miami also tightened up their defense in the paint in the second half after it was 40-16 in the first two quarters, as they were able to outscore Boston down low 24-22 over the third and fourth quarters. Game two at TD Garden in Friday night at 8:30 p.m.
Story by Chris Lessner/Highlight video courtesy of the NBA website
