That 17-0 run was the Celtics' longest of the entire postseason C's light it up from 3-point land again That advantage didn't last long, The Celtics responded almost immediately with on a 17-0 run to seize control, built an 11-point lead at the end of the first and never trailed again. Miami shot the ball extremely well in the first few minutes, and took control with an early double-digit lead. The reverse scenario played out on Thursday night - albeit much earlier in the game. Instead, the Heat went on a 22-2 run over five-plus minutes to flip control of the game, and pulled away for a double-digit win. In Game 1 on Tuesday night, the Celtics were in front coming out of the halftime break, and appeared to have a chance to steal a win without some key players. Knocking down a team-high five 3-pointers certainly didn't hurt, and as an exclamation point he made Max Strus fall with a little dribbling maneuver.Ĭeltics' first-quarter run proves crucial On the other end, his playmaking was on point, as he made the right read time and again and took a lot of pressure off of Jayson Tatum. Just another good defender to throw at (Jimmy) Butler and (Bam) Adebayo and some of those guys, and not have to worry about them try to pick on certain matchups. Ability to switch and switch onto bigger bodies. "Defensive Player of the Year for a reason. "As always he sets the tone," Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said. His defense, as always, was phenomenal, and his return made things much more difficult for the Heat. In one of his best performances this postseason, he went for 21 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. Smart, though, was the real difference maker. Horford was a perfect 4 of 4 from the field, and finished with 10 points, three rebounds and three assists. In particular, the Celtics could have used their leadership and poise when the Heat went on their huge run in the third quarter on Tuesday night.īoth players were back in action in Game 2, however, and played big roles in the Celtics' win. The Celtics were without both Marcus Smart (foot strain) and Al Horford (health and safety protocols) in Game 1, and they were sorely missed on both ends of the floor. Here are some key takeaways from the game: Smart shows out in return from foot injury The Heat also lost PJ Tucker to a knee contusion, and his status moving forward is unclear. Gabe Vincent, who finished with 14 points, was the only other starter in double figures. Jimmy Butler led the Heat with 29 points and six rebounds, but he did not get much help. The Celtics had another great shooting performance, and went 20 of 40 from 3-point land. Marcus Smart, meanwhile, returned from a foot injury that kept him out of Game 1 to put up 24 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. Jayson Tatum led the way with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Jaylen Brown went for 24 points and eight rebounds. They pulled away in the second quarter to take a 25-point lead into the break and the game was never in doubt again. That turned out to be the high-point of the night for them, however, as the Celtics flipped the game on its head, went on a 17-0 run and had a double-digit lead of their own by the end of the first quarter. Game 3 is set for Saturday night back in Boston.Įarly on it was all Heat, as they jumped out to a double-digit lead. The Celtics have now stolen home-court advantage and tied the series, 1-1. The Boston Celtics bounced back in a major way on Thursday night, as they cruised to a dominant 127-102 win over the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals.
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