Celtics blow out the Heat 110-97 for a second straight game as they chase NBA history… after FOUR Boston players score over 20 points in TD Garden
- Jaylen Brown & Jayson Tatum had 21 points, Marcus Smart: 23 & Derrick White: 24
- Boston has now avoided elimination in back-to-back matches for G6 in MIA
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The Miami Heat were beaten 110-97 by the Boston Celtics in a complete team effort at the rough TD Garden.
Boston, which had lost five of its last seven home games, faced yet another elimination game.
Leading 3-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals, Miami again failed to finish the series. The Heat will have a chance to do so Saturday night in Game 6 on their home floor.
“They made us take two, so don’t let us take another one,” Jaylen Brown warned during his postgame interview on TNT.
No franchise in NBA playoff history has ever come back from a 0-3 deficit. Only three teams have ever forced a Game 7.
It was all smiles for the Celtics who completely destroyed Miami in a dominant G5 performance
Marcus Smart made the Boston fans go wild after one of his four three-pointers. He went 4/6 3pt
Jimmy Butler did not play in the final quarter of the blowout and scored 14 points on the night
“Your back is against the wall, you have no choice,” said Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla after the game. “It builds a connection and it builds an opportunity.”
It was a complete team effort from the men in green. Derrick White led the C’s with 24 points. He was closely followed by fellow starters Marcus Smart (23), Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum (21).
At no point did the Heat lead Boston, and by the end of the first quarter, they trailed 35–20.
Things didn’t get much better for Miami trailing 61-44 at the half and 90-72 at the end of three.
The mistreatment was so severe that Erik Spoelstra chose to sit out both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo for the entire fourth quarter.
As he moved closer to creating ultimate history, Boston set another NBA record at the TD Garden.
For the first time in Association history, Boston’s starters combined for 12+ 3-pointers and 12+ steals.
After the dominant win, the Celtics went 4-0 as they were eliminated this postseason – a franchise record.
Duncan Robinson led all Heat scorers with 18 points off the bench. Bam Adebayo (16), Haywood Highsmith (15), Jimmy Butler and Caleb Martin (14) followed closely behind.