Heat Outlast Celtics For 2-0 Advantage
By Dan Bruno
The Miami Heat defeated the Boston Celtics, 106-101, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday at Orlando.
After a disappointing loss in Game 1, the Celtics came out strong in Game 2, with a 31-28 lead after one quarter. They doubled down in the second, where they outscored the Heat by 10, to push their lead to 13, by halftime. However, the Heat came out with intensity in the third and outscored the Celtics by 20 points in the frame, to take a seven-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics kept up the fight and jumped back on top to grab a five-point advantage with just over four minutes to go, but the Heat locked down on the defensive end to help swing the momentum back in the their favor with a couple steals and easy buckets. They also came up with a couple of clutch jumpers and were solid at the free throw line in the closing seconds, to seal the imposing 2-0 series lead.
Bam Adebayo finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, while Goran Dragic was the high-point man for Miami, with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Jimmy Butler totaled 14 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists, The Heat did a great job on the defensive end, as they tallied 11 steals and forced the Celtics into 20 turnovers.
Meanwhile, Kemba Walker led the Celtics with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, in 34 minutes. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown added 21 points each, while Marcus Smart was the only other player to score in double digits for Boston, with 14 points. The Celtics shot 50 percent from the field, including 10-of-28 from long range.
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday.
After a disappointing loss in Game 1, the Celtics came out strong in Game 2, with a 31-28 lead after one quarter. They doubled down in the second, where they outscored the Heat by 10, to push their lead to 13, by halftime. However, the Heat came out with intensity in the third and outscored the Celtics by 20 points in the frame, to take a seven-point lead into the fourth. The Celtics kept up the fight and jumped back on top to grab a five-point advantage with just over four minutes to go, but the Heat locked down on the defensive end to help swing the momentum back in the their favor with a couple steals and easy buckets. They also came up with a couple of clutch jumpers and were solid at the free throw line in the closing seconds, to seal the imposing 2-0 series lead.
Bam Adebayo finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block, while Goran Dragic was the high-point man for Miami, with 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Jimmy Butler totaled 14 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists, The Heat did a great job on the defensive end, as they tallied 11 steals and forced the Celtics into 20 turnovers.
Meanwhile, Kemba Walker led the Celtics with 23 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block, in 34 minutes. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown added 21 points each, while Marcus Smart was the only other player to score in double digits for Boston, with 14 points. The Celtics shot 50 percent from the field, including 10-of-28 from long range.
Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday.