Celtics Wrap: Boston Humbles Heat With Game 3 Victory Response

The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat, 104-84 in Game 3, getting back on their feet with a much-needed response victory at Kaseya Center on Saturday night.

With the win, Boston takes a 2-1 series lead, halfway done to advance to the second round, over Miami.

Check out the full box score here.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics were punked in Game 2, allowing the Heat to gather a great deal of confidence — without Jimmy Butler — leaving it up to Boston to redeem itself after failing to capitalize on its home-court advantage.

Putting aside the outside noise garnered through Boston’s inability to guard the perimeter and counter the widely-known game plan from Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra in Game 2, the Celtics let their play do all the talking. Boston held Miami to just 39 points in the first half, the fewest the Heat scored throughout the season before halftime.

The three ball wasn’t falling for the Celtics — they shot 11-of-37 (29.7%) — but they utilized their ball movement to generate offense and maintain that pressure from other areas of the floor.

Boston helped set the tone early on, ensuring that no matter what failures occurred offensively, the team would contest Miami’s shot attempts, limiting the Heat to 12 first-quarter points. They also turned 12 Miami turnovers into 24 Celtics points.

Instead of allowing the Heat to (again) bully and little brother them under the bright lights, the Celtics exploited Miami as the less talented squad in the series — while shooting poorly from 3-point territory, which is a primary source of scoring for Boston.

The win gave the Celtics their fifth consecutive road victory against the Heat.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Jayson Tatum got involved all over the floor, notching a double-double by scoring 22 points, collecting 11 rebounds, and dishing out six assists. Tatum’s zero turnovers total set the tone in Boston’s more efficient-flowing offense that didn’t allow Miami to counter on self-inflicted miscues.

— Kristaps Porzingis had a bounce-back performance, giving the Celtics 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds. Porzingis also pitched in on the other end of the floor, recording two blocks, and finishing a plus-12.

— Miami’s Bam Adebayo couldn’t bridge the scoring gap but did lead the Heat with 20 points and nine rebounds in a team-high 39 minutes played.

UP NEXT
The Celtics and Heat will meet again for Game 4 on Monday night as Boston will seek a commanding 3-1 series lead over Miami. Tip-off from Kaseya Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.