|
The Celtics' 93-80 victory over the Miami Heat in Game 5 of the
Eastern Conference finals was fueled by a 24-2 second-half run
and came after Boston endured a lackluster 37-point first half.
The Celtics' stars finally emerged, as Jaylen Brown scored 25
points and Jayson Tatum added 22 points with 12 rebounds to give
Boston a 3-2 lead in the series.
Game 6 of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Friday night
in Boston.
"To be that close and knowing we didn't play that well in the
first half, we talked about flipping the script and playing a
really good second half, a really clean second half," Celtics
coach Ime Udoka said. "Obviously (Tatum) and (Brown) got it
going. But it was simply taking care of the basketball."
Al Horford scored 16 points while Derrick White added 14 for the
Celtics, who shot 38.2 percent in the first half but ended up at
46.5 percent for the night.
Bam Adebayo produced 18 points and 10 rebounds and Gabe Vincent
added 15 points for the Heat, who lost at home for the second
time in the series after going 6-0 in Miami during the opening
two rounds of the playoffs.
Heat star Jimmy Butler had 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting. The
Miami starting backcourt of Max Strus and Kyle Lowry did not
make a shot from the field, going a combined 0-for-15. Butler
was playing through knee soreness, while Lowry is dealing with
hamstring issues.
Heat guard Tyler Herro, the NBA Sixth Man of the Year, did not
play for the second consecutive game due to a groin injury.
"Look, we're not going to make any kind of deflection or make
any kind of excuse," Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Boston
beat us tonight. Let's be clear about that. There are guys who
are far from 100 percent on both sides."
The Heat were not much better than the Celtics in the opening
half, taking a 42-37 lead to the locker room. It was the first
time a game in the series was within five points at the break.
Four of the series' five games have ended in double-digit
victories.
Boston took charge in the third quarter, outscoring Miami 32-16.
The Celtics opened their first double-digit lead on a Brown
turnaround jumper with eight seconds remaining in the third for
a 69-58 advantage.
Tatum was just 1-for-9 from the field before halftime, making
his lone basket with 8:07 remaining in the second quarter. He
finished the night 7-for-20.
Brown did his part by hitting consecutive 3-pointers with less
than nine minutes remaining in the game for an 83-60 lead that
capped the 24-2 run.
"I was the same player, I just had to get settled in (for the
second half)," said Brown, who made two field goals and had just
six points in the opening half. "As the game wears on, some of
that energy, some of that intensity wears off. The game opened
up for me in the second half."
Butler struggled again for the Heat and is now 10-for-40 from
the floor over the past three games, but he insisted afterward
that the team is far from finished.
"Besides the fact that anything is possible, we just know what
we're capable of," Butler said. "We know we can play some really
good basketball ... and it's going to have to start in this next
game up in Boston."
Robert Williams III contributed six points and 10 rebounds for
Boston. Duncan Robinson had 11 points for Miami, and P.J. Tucker
added seven points and 11 rebounds.
--Field Level Media
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
