Jimmy Butler finished with another 40+ points game —his third this postseason— and the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 107-118 to take an 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Heat used a 14-39 run in the third quarter to come back from an 8-point half-time deficit and retain their home-court advantage. The Celtics were coming from a tough series against the Bucks and played without Marcus Smart (mid-foot-sprain) and Al Horford (Health and Safety Protocols).
Butler scored 27 of his 41 points in the second half with 17 of them coming in the crucial third quarter. Boston shot 2 for 15 in that third quarter. Tyler Herro scored 18 and Gabe Vincent added 17 for the Heat.
Along with his 41 points, Butler had nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocked shots. In the opposite side, Jayson Tatum finished with 29 points and Jaylen Brown added 24.
Boston led by 13 in the first half and took a 62-54 lead into halftime. However, Miami started the second half with a 22-2 run to take the lead in the way for a 14-39 run in the third quarter.
The lead reached to 96-76, but the Celtics cut the deficit to nine in the fourth quarter before the Heat close out the game with some big threes from PJ Tucker and Max Strus to remain ahead and get the win.
The two teams will meet again Thursday night for Game 2 in Miami.
Comments