The Boston Celtics unleashed a barrage of 16 three-pointers, propelling them to a commanding 110-97 conquer the Miami Heat on Thursday, maintaining their NBA championship aspirations vibrant.
For the second straight sport, the Celtics fended off elimination, chopping the deficit within the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals to 3-2 with the wire-to-wire triumph.
Miami will get one other probability to shut it out once they host sport six on Saturday. The Celtics will attempt to take yet one more step towards turning into the primary NBA staff to rally from a 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff sequence.
“The only thing that can stop us is us,” Celtics ahead Jaylen Brown stated in an on-court interview.
Before a rapturous, raucous crowd at TD Garden in Boston, the Celtics seemed each inch the favorites they have been earlier than the sequence began – earlier than the upstart eighth-seeded Heat grabbed the primary two video games in Boston, then embarrassed the second seeds in sport three.
Four Celtics starters scored greater than 20 factors, with Derrick White main the best way with 24 on an evening when he made six of eight makes an attempt from three-point vary.
“Got some good looks and was able to knock them down, and just kind of rolled with it,” stated White, who stated the Heat’s defensive give attention to Brown and fellow star wing Jayson Tatum gave him extra room to function.
Marcus Smart added 23 and had 5 steals, whereas Brown and Tatum scored 21 apiece.
More importantly, the energetic Celtics harried the Heat into 16 turnovers, resulting in 27 Boston factors.
They had 17 second-chance factors in comparison with Miami’s seven.
“Tonight, we were the tougher playing team,” Brown stated. “We set the tone from start to finish.”
Boston have been locked in on each ends of the ground from the opening tip-off, roaring to a 23-7 lead in a matter of minutes.
After Tatum was whistled for a technical foul with 8:43 within the first quarter, the Celtics responded with three consecutive three-pointers.
Tatum scored 12 factors within the first quarter and Brown took over with 12 within the second.
Meanwhile, Heat talisman Jimmy Butler struggled to get going, scoring eight factors within the first half and ending with 14 – his lowest-scoring sport of the playoffs. He sat out a lot of the fourth quarter.
Duncan Robinson led the Heat with 18 factors off the bench. Bam Adebayo scored 16 factors however coughed up six turnovers.
Kyle Lowry beginning at level guard after Gabe Vincent was dominated out with a sprained ankle, scored 5 factors with 4 turnovers.
“We’ve just got to play better,” Butler stated. “Start the sport off higher on the starters; make it tougher for them.
“They are in a rhythm since the beginning of the game,” Butler added. “But we will always stay positive, knowing we can and will win this series. We’ll have to close it out at home.”
Battling, scratching, clawing
Butler stated the Heat allowed their capturing struggles to have an effect on their defensive depth.
“But that’s easily correctable,” he stated. “You just have to come out and play harder from the jump.”
The Heat, who received the NBA title in 2006, 2012 and 2013, nonetheless solely want yet one more win to achieve a seventh NBA Finals.
Boston, whose 17 NBA titles are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for probably the most in historical past, final received all of it in 2008 and got here up brief in final season’s championship sequence in opposition to the Golden State Warriors.
The sequence winners will play the Western Conference champion Denver Nuggets, who swept the Lakers in 4 video games to achieve the NBA Finals for the primary time.
White stated the Celtics anticipate a formidable problem in Miami on Saturday.
“The crowd is going to be in it. It’s not going to be easy,” he stated. “It’s going to take 48 minutes of battling, scratching, clawing, and we’ve got to find a way to win.”
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was unconcerned that two huge defeats had demoralized his staff.
“Who cares about mood?” Spoelstra stated. “We have a gnarly group. It’s a competitive series. You always expect things to be challenging in the conference finals.”
Source: www.dailysabah.com
