Celtics shut down Heat for key Game 5 win
MIAMI — Jaylen Brown scored 25 factors, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth within the NBA Finals, operating away after halftime to beat the Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday evening and take a 3-2 lead within the Eastern Conference title collection.
Al Horford had 16 factors and Derrick White added 14 for the Celtics. Tatum completed with 12 rebounds and 9 assists.
Bam Adebayo scored 18 factors and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Heat, who shot 32% within the sport — after taking pictures 33 % in Boston’s 20-point win in Game 4. Gabe Vincent added 15, Jimmy Butler had 13 and Duncan Robinson scored 11 for Miami.
The Heat have been 7 for 45 from 3-point vary.
Game 6 is in Boston on Friday evening, the place a pair of newly named trophies bearing the names of Celtics legends will likely be ready. The Bob Cousy trophy goes to the East champs, the Larry Bird trophy to the East finals MVP, and the Celtics are one win away from being the primary workforce to hoist them.
This collection has seen large momentum swings — a 44-14 Miami run in Game 1, a 60-21 Boston run in Game 2, a 46-20 Miami run to open Game 3 adopted by a 57-33 Boston run in the identical sport, and a 26-4 spurt by the Celtics to open Game 4.
The Game 5 run was simply as one-sided.
The rating over a 6 1/2-minute stretch of the second half: Celtics 24, Heat 2. The turnaround was 59-58 Boston to 83-60 Boston, and that was that.
Boston outscored Miami 32-16 within the third quarter, holding the Heat to 17 % taking pictures in that interval. The margin was solely 11 at that time — however quickly, the sport was in zero doubt. A 14-2 run was how Boston opened the fourth quarter, Brown capping the flurry by making three 3-pointers in a span of two 1/2 minutes, and the lead was out to 23.
Brown then sealed issues with a down-the-lane dunk with 5:19 left, the lead was 18 at that time and the countdown was on for Boston.
The Celtics haven’t reached the NBA Finals since 2010. There have been 4 East finals journeys since then, with two losses to Miami and two to Cleveland. There have been additionally two possibilities — Game 6 in 2012 in opposition to the Heat and Game 7 in 2018 in opposition to the Cavaliers — when the Celtics had an opportunity to assert the convention title just by successful a sport on their house ground.
They lost each, LeBron James serving because the official thwarter each occasions, with 45 factors to avoid wasting Miami within the 2012 sport and 35 to carry Cleveland within the 2018 clincher.
He received’t be within the Celtics’ means Friday evening.
Miami will want anyone to offer some semblance of an impersonation.
Offense was briefly provide within the first half, however Miami’s protection gave the impression to be giving the Heat hope. Miami led 19-17 after one and 42-37 on the break. Tatum was 1 for 9 at intermission, Butler 2 for 8, and the groups mixed to shoot 37.8 % from the sector and 21.6 % from 3-point vary.
It was the lowest-scoring first half of a convention finals sport since May 28, 2014, when the Heat and Indiana mixed for 75 factors on the break in what ultimately turned a 93-90 Pacers win.
And Miami, by some means, bought colder to begin the second half. The Celtics didn’t.
The Heat missed their first 9 pictures from the sector after the break, not getting something to fall till Butler fended off contact and scored on a drive that bought Miami inside 49-48 with 6:53 left within the third.
But quickly, the Celtics had management. Of the sport. And the collection.
