![]() Miami scored a staggering 46 third-quarter points, outscoring the Celtics by 21 in the frame and compiling an 12-point lead entering the fourth, 103-91. The surge continued from there, driven by a strong attack in the paint and multiple mental lapses from the Celtics, including an ill-fated save attempt under the basket from Williams III that led to an easy Heat layup. Four minutes later, though, Miami was back in the lead they found a hot streak, outscoring the Celtics 19-9 to claim a one-point advantage. Rob is everywhere /EY0LpIYdA4- Boston Celtics May 18, 2023Ī brilliant game for Smart continued in the opening moments of the second half, as the point guard recorded his 11th assist of the night less than one minute into the third quarter on an alley oop feed to Williams III. A 15-3 Boston run built up a double-digit lead, and the lead sat at nine entering the halftime break, 66-57. The Celtics kept their heads down and maintained an excellence offensive process, dissecting the Miami defense and building energy as the quarter wore on. The 37-year-old guard connected on consecutive threes early in the quarter, and tacked on a third a few minutes later en route to 11 second quarter points. The early minutes of the second quarter belonged to Lowry. The Celtics didn’t buckle, however a balanced offensive attack led by - mercifully - a strong start from Tatum gave them a two-point lead entering the second, 30-28. The Heat shot 52% from the field in the first quarter, led by a sterling start from Butler, who carried the momentum of his strong postseason with a 12-point frame. ![]() In the early going, Miami looked more like the hot-shooting team that downed the Milwaukee Bucks than the leaden offense that out-scrapped the New York Knicks. Marcus Smart recorded a double-double, dishing 10 assists in the first half, but finished with 13 points and 11 assists for the game as his usage seemed to diminish in the second half.Ī white-knuckle first quarter illustrated the challenge ahead of the Celtics this series. Jaylen Brown had an effective, if quiet, night, posting a 22-9-5 stat line, while Robert Williams III continued his recent resurgence with a loud 14 points and seven rebounds (four offensive). Jayson Tatum led the way with 30 points, but found himself outdueled by perhaps the top star of the playoffs to this point, Jimmy Butler, who scored 35 points, dished seven assists and swiped six steals. The Celtics have been put on notice: this is not a series they can afford to take lightly. Written off as an underachieving eight-seed - and even losing their first play-in game - the Heat improved their record to 9-3 this postseason with a 123-116 win in Game 1. ![]() If it wasn’t already evident by their remarkable run through the Eastern Conference Playoffs, the Miami Heat showed why this Eastern Conference Finals matchup will be no cakewalk for the second-seeded Boston Celtics.
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