The Boston Celtics’ starters 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 at TD Garden in Boston on Saturday morning (26 January).
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, including four 3-pointers, three rebounds and five steals.메이저사이트
In defeat, Miami was led by Jimmy 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 with six turnovers.
The absence of Gabe Vincent was noticeable for Miami in the first quarter. Unable to fill Vincent’s void 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 defence. Boston ended the first quarter with a 15-point lead, 35-20.
After Brown scored eight straight points, including two three-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 produce points to catch up. Smart then cleverly got Robinson in foul trouble and Tatum took control of the high pick-and-roll game from the get-go. 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 driving inside. Even as Miami upped the tempo, Tatum continued to work his way through the game with ease, and 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 White’s three-point foul, Boston took advantage of the size mismatch and continued to make free throws. Robinson and Haywood-Highsmith were still Miami’s best performers, but head coach Joe Mazzulla quickly changed the tone with a challenge. Mazzula 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 took a 13-point lead and held on to beat Miami, 110-97.