Boston Celtics players combined for a whopping 13 steals.
The Celtics defeated the Miami Heat by 13 points, 110-97, in Game 5 of the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Eastern Conference on Saturday morning at TD Garden in Boston.
Boston, which trails the series 2-3, was led by Tatum with 21 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and two steals; Brown with 21 points and three steals, including three 3-pointers; Derrick White with 24 points, including six 3-pointers; and Marcus Smart with 23 points, three rebounds and five steals, including four 3-pointers.
In defeat, Miami was led by Jimmy 스포츠토토 Butler with 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals, Duncan Robinson with 18 points and nine assists, and Caleb Martin with 14 points and three rebounds, but Bam Adebayo had 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals to go along with six turnovers.
Miami noticed the absence of Gabe Vincent in the first quarter. Unable to fill Vincent’s shoes at all, Miami allowed the “Aces” Tatum and White to bomb. Tatum and White combined for 23 points in the quarter alone, breaking down Miami’s defense. Boston ended the first quarter with a 15-point lead, 35-20.
After Brown scored eight straight points, including two 3-pointers, to start the second quarter, the Celtics added Horford to the mix and took advantage of Tatum’s rest. With Boston’s shooting cooled off and Robinson on the floor, Miami was able to make up ground, but then Smart cleverly got Robinson in foul trouble and Tatum took control of the high pick-and-roll game. With Brown alive and well, Boston went into halftime with a 17-point lead, 61-44.
In the third quarter, Tatum and White were still going strong, while Smart and Brown were aggressively working the inside. Even as Miami upped the tempo, Tatum continued to work the game with his easy passing, while Smart broke off several passes to score inside and hit from beyond the arc. Boston entered the fourth quarter with an 18-point lead, 90-72.
Refreshed by a White three-point foul, Boston capitalized on the size mismatch and continued to make free throws. Robinson and Haywood-Highsmith were still Miami’s best players, but head coach Joe Mazzulla quickly changed the tone by issuing a challenge. Mazzulla then rested his starters, starting with Smart, and forced a garbage time with 3:20 left in the game.
After a Sam Hauser three-pointer, Boston held on for a 13-point win over Miami, 110-97.