Boston Celtics 93 vs 80 Miami Heat summary: stats and highlights | Game 5 Eastern Conference Finals
The Boston Celtics took a giant step towards the NBA Finals with an away win over the Miami Heat at FTX Arena on Wednesday night. Jaylen Brown was the star of the show, scoring 25 points in the 93-80 victory.
Game 5 tight until the fourth
While the series might have come into Game 5 even at 2-2, the first four games were far from even. Each of the four games had 20+ point leads and all but one ended in lopsided victories.
Game 5 was played much tighter through the first three quarters and even featured the first lead change since the first quarter of Game 2 when the Heat took the early lead form the Celtics in the first quarter on Wednesday.
The Celtics busted the game wide open at the end of the third quarter and into the fourth when they went on a 24-2 run to take an 83-60 lead, making it the fifth game with a 20+ points lead in the series.
Defense wins Championships, and Game 5s
Defensive Player of the Year, Marcus Smart and Robert Williams came back for the Celtics to beef up the Boston defense. While they played great defense it has to be said, the Heat went cold in the most important game of the season. Miami shot just 31.9% from the field and connected on only seven of 45 three pointers (15.6%).
Jaylen Brown took over during the late third/early fourth quarter run and would finish the game with 25 points, 13 of which were scored in the final 12 minutes. Jayson Tatum had 22 despite going through some shooting struggles perhaps due to that sore shoulder that has effected him since Game 3.
Derrick White was forced to come into the game in the first four minutes after Smart picked up a quick second foul. White filled in wonderfully for a second straight game, scoring 14 points and dishing five assists.
The Celtics will head back to Boston with a win in their pocket knowing they can close out the series on their home floor. Miami is facing elimination for the first time this postseason and will have to keep their Finals chances alive with a win in a hostile TD Garden.
Just one more look at the Brown slam that ended the game with an exclamation.
Jaylen Brown putting the cherry on top of the Game 5 win for Boston.
Tatum wasn't great, but he had some big baskets in key moments for the Cs.
This is the three ball that started the 24-2 run that changed the game.
Horford showing he's got plenty of gas in the tank for a 35 year old.
Brown took a while to settle into the groove of the game, but he kicked in at the right time for Boston.
Horford had 11 at halftime and started the second half with this easy bucket.
The Celtics didn't shoot great from behind the arc, just 30.3% but it was a much better shooting night than the Heat had at 15.1% from deep.
Smart's early foul trouble gave White the opportunity to shine again in Game 5. He put up 14 and 5 assists to help carry the Celtics to victory.
Horford with the finish, and he was huge for the Celtics in Game 5. The last few games he had done more of the intangibles, but on Wednesday he had 16, 7 and 5.
It's all over from Miami! The Celtics are going back to Boston with a 3-2 series lead.
Yurtseven with a rare bucket as the Heat starters have gone to the bench.
Vincent with a consolation bucket.
Brown puts the cherry on top of this performance with a spin in the lane and a runner through the paint. Timeout with 1:32 to go in the fourth.
Tatum to the line and he hits two of two. The fans are starting to filter out of the FTX Arena.
Vincent with a three ball and the Heat cut the lead to 13.
Butler at the FT line and he hits two of two.
Timeout Celtics with just under 5 minutes to go up by 19.
JAYLEN BROWN WITH THE THROW DOWN!!! That was NASTY!!! 11 of his 23 have come in this quarter.
Robinson with a wide open three after a great screed on Tatum.
White down the lane with the spin move and he's got 14.
Adebayo hits a midrange jumper and he is keeping the Heat alive.
Tatum in the corner with the mid range jumper.
Adebayo is warming up, he hits the turn around in the paint.
Adebayo with the turn around.
Adebayo at the line and he knocks both down.
24-2 run for the Celtics since late in the third.
Brown has caught fire in this fourth quarter! This three ball was from wayyyyy downtown!
Brown with the three ball and again we have a 20 point lead in the series. That makes all five games that have featured 20+ point leads
The Heat are shooting 5-37 from outside.
Tatum this time in the paint and the Celtics are on an 18-2 run since late in the third quarter.
Tatum in the corner for 3! He's got 15 tonight.
Butler going at the rack and using the glass. He's got to be big in the fourth if the Heat are going to win this game
Brown gets the scoring going with a three ball, and just like that the lead is 14.
The fourth quarter is underway and the fate of the series could be decided in this fourth quarter.
Brown on the spin and the jumper in the paint and the third quarter comes to an end with the Celtics on a 10-0 run.
The Heat shot 4-23 from the field in the third quarter.
Tatum in transition and we have our largest lead of the game with under a minute to go in the third.
White to the line and he gets one of two to go. Largest Celtics lead of the night.
Brown on the pull up from the elbow and the Celtics are trying to extend the lead going into the fourth.
Williams in the corner for three!
Vincent to the line and he hits two of two.
Oladipo to the line and he hits one of two.
Vincent with the step back and he's got 8 off the bench.
Tatum hits the long two and that's only his third FG of the night.
Vincent gets the jumper to drop and the Heat have a rare FG in this third quarter.
Williams at the line and he hits one of two.
Tatum to the line and he gets both to drop.
Horford at the line and he hits one of two
Robinson responds with a long ball and the crowd is on it's feet here in Miami.
Smart with a big bucket from downtown as the shot clock is winding down.
Butler finally gets a FG for the Heat after missing 9 to start the quarter.
Tatum at the line and he hits one of two. Boston are already in the Bonus with 7:30 left to go in the third.
Horford with the long rebound and he goes charging down the court! The 35 year old showing he's still got plento of gas in the tank, gets the lay up and the foul. FT is good and he's got 15.
Strus back to the line and he hits two.
Strus to the line and he gets both to drop.
Williams with a pull up from the mid range. The Celtics are looking better on the offensive end coming out of the gate.
Tatum gives the Celtics the lead back with a mid range jumper.
Brown on the break, going strong to the basket and gets the bucket and the foul. FT is no good
Horford gets us going in the second half with a short jumper
Bam showing he's not afraid to bang down low, especailly when he has a mismatch like the one he had against White in the paint.
Offensive rebounds were one of the stories in that first half. They had 9 in the opening 2 quarters including this one for Martin.
White had to come off the bench after Smart picked up 2 quick fouls. He would scored 11 in the first half to lead all scorers.
Tucker leaves his heart on soul out there on every play, and this time gets a steal and polishes it off with a score.
Great passing in transition for the Celtics who created a wide open look for Horford on the lob.
Bam getting the show started early. He would go on to score 10 first half points.
Bam Adebayo leads the Heat with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Butler, Tucker and Martin have 7 a piece.
Derrick White leads the Celtics with 11, and Horford has 10. Tatum has struggled with just 4 points on 1-9 shooting, while Brown has 6 points on 2-7 shooting.
That brings us to the conclusion of the first half here in Miami! We have a low scoring, defensive battle in Game 5 from FTX Arena.
Horford on the floater in the lane and he ends the first half with a five point flurry.
Tucker with the put back and the offensive rebounds continue to pile up.
Adebayo with the tip in, and that's the 11th offensive rebound for the Heat.
Horford from the corner for three! He hasn't done much scoring lately, but he does so much other stuff for the Celtics.
Adebayo powering through White on the block and finishing with the easy lay up.
Horford at the line after being fouled by Butler and the Boston big man hits two of two. 3:04 to go in the second quarter.
Robinson off the dribble gets in the lane and drops the floater off the glass.
Tucker in the corner for three!!!
Brown hits the three ball! He's trying to make up for his four first quarter turnovers.
White going back to the rack and he's got 11 points off the bench!
Martin in tranistion after a sloppy pass from Tatum. Tatum and Brown have been careless with the ball today.
White down low going up quick, getting fouled, finishing and going to the line. FT is good and he's got 9 points.
Butler to the line, and he hits both.
We are headed to a timeout in Miami with 6:22 to go in the second quarter.
Martin with a corner three after a mad scramble by the Heat to keep hold of the ball.
Smart at the line and he hits two of two.
Tatum responds with a three and that's his first FG of the night. He started 0-6.
Robinson drops a three ball! He got hot at the end of the Blowout loss in Game 5.
Martin misses a three but follows it up and gets the put back. That's not the first time the Celtics have been caught staring at the rebounds.
The first quarter comes to a close from Miami! That was a very defensive opening 12 minutes from FTX Arena, which shouldn't come as a surprise with these two physical teams.
Vicent off the dribble and he hits the two from the top of the key.
White with a tough floater in the lane and he's got 6 off the bench in the first quarter.
Vincent on the lob and there's Adebayo with the jam.
Horford to the line and he hits one of two.
TImeout with 2:37 to go in the first quarter.
Oladipo somehow got that reverse to go! This is the first lead chance we have had since the first quarter o Game 2!
Butler from the top of the key for three! He is just 1/7 from downtown this series.
Brown for three! And he's got his first points of the night.
Vincent in the paint and into the body of White. Jumper is off the glass and good.
Tucker comes up with the steal on Brown, and then cuts to the basket finishing with a lay up high off the glass.
White into traffic again and he finishes again! Another nice start for White, this time off the bench and the Heat want a timeout with 5:18 to go.
Great ball movement in transition for the Celtics that ends in a Horford lay up off an alley oop.
Adebayo on the follow for the second offensive rebound of the possession and Bam goes bam with the tip slam.
Adebayo on the cool finish underneath the basket.
White off the bench and in the paint with a floater. He had 10 first quarter points last game.
Well getting Marcus Smart back was a big boost, but he's already got 2 fouls four minutes into the game. White back in the game earliers than Coach Udoka might have hoped for.
Tatum still in the game with that bummed shoulder, but he leaves his first FT short. His second one is good and he is on the board, but we will monitor him all night.
Butler on the baseline drive, and Heat fans will be happy to see their star scoring early.
Williams with the game's first 4 points after finding a mismatch on Strus down low.
Williams with the put back, but terrible news for the Celtics as Tatum bends over clutching that sore shoulder.
Two minutes in and the game is still scoreless.
We are underway in Game 5 from Miami!!! The winner of tonight's game will take a huge step towards the NBA Finals.
Tonight's odds
The Celtics are 3.5 point favorites away from home tonight according to Bet365.com, with the Over/Under set at 203.5. I think in this series we've found out that the spread doesn't matter as much as picking a winner in this lopsided series. I think the Celtics win in, but in a much closer game.
The Celtics have Marcus Smart, the Defensive Player of the Year, is back in the starting 5 for the Boston Celtics.
Coach Spoelstra's starting 5 for Game 5
Can Butler get back on track?
After a fantastic start to the series, scoring 41 in Game 1, Jimmy Butler struggled in Bostons. He scored 8 in Game 3 and 6 in Game 4. Butler is scoring 21 points a game
Tatum MVP
It’s no big secret that Jayson Tatum is the key to the Celtics success. He responded from his 10 points, six turnover game with a brilliant 31 points and 8 rebounds. Tatum has scored 20+ points in three of the four games this series and is averaging a shade under 25 points a game and seven rebonds in this series.
Spoelstra not surprised by big leads in first four games
Heat coach Eric Spoelstra understands that these games are being played between two strong sides, and that can sometimes lead to big margins of victories over a seven game series. "You know, sometimes when you have two really competitive teams, it doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a one-point game," Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It means that it can be flammable either way. Both teams are ignitable. Whatever they have done to us, we can do to them."
Tatum staying calm after Game 4 win
Celtics star Jayson Tatum knows every game is now a must win. "I think obviously it's 2-2, so it's kind of like a new series, best of three," said the Celtics' Jayson Tatum, who scored a game-high 31 points in Game 4. "I think just having a conversation that I think human nature plays a part in, when you win a game you can relax a little bit. But obviously when we lose a game, we feel like the next game is do or die.
"I think we have to have that mindset going into Game 5, that it is a must-win game, because (Monday) was essentially something like that."
Great news for the Boston Celtics who will get a big boost for tonight’s road game. Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are available for Game 5. Smart sat out last game with an ankle injury, and Williams has had a sore knee bothering him all postseason. He played just 18 minutes last game and will play again tonight.
Tyler Herro will miss a second straight game with an injured groin.
Lopsided games in an even series
This series has been particularly unpredictable when you consider that each team has a home win and a home loss through four games. It also has featured 20+ points leads in each of the four games that have been played. The series is even, but the games have not been. The closest final score in the series came in Game 3 when the Heat won by 6 in Boston, but the Heat led by 26 in the second half of that game.
Jayson Tatum and company know a win tonight would set the Celtics up perfectly for a chance to close out the series back home in Game 6.
The boys are back in town. Miami rolling up to the FTX Arena showing the drip and needing a win tonight in Game 5.
Game 4 Recap
The Celtics may have been without Marcus Smart, who missed Game 4 with an ankle injury that is still bothering him, but gave a defensive masterpiece in TD Garden two days ago. The Heat were held to just 33% shooting and were out rebounded 60-39. Derrick White filled in for Smart and had 10 points in the first quarter to get the Celtics off to a hot start. Tatum took over from there, finishing with 31, 8 and 5 assists to lead the Celtics to the 102-82 win.
We are live from Miami
Hello everyone and welcome to Dade County where the Heat return home hoping to take the lead in the series yet again. The Celtics responded to their home loss in Game 3 with a win to make it 5 of 5 wins after losses in the post season.
Celtics vs. Heat: Game 5
After four games the Eastern Conference Final is all square at 2-2 after Boston evened the series with a convincing win over the Miami Heat on Monday night. AS English will be with you for tonight’s Game 5 from Miami, bringing you live coverage, stats, scores and highlights of tonight’s contest from FTX Arena.
Game 4 Recap
The Celtics may have been without Marcus Smart, who missed Game 4 with an ankle injury that is still bothering him, but gave a defensive masterpiece in TD Garden two days ago. The Heat were held to just 33% shooting and were out rebounded 60-39. Derrick White filled in for Smart and had 10 points in the first quarter to get the Celtics off to a hot start. Tatum took over from there, finishing with 31, 8 and 5 assists to lead the Celtics to the 102-82 win.
We are live from Miami
Hello everyone and welcome to Dade County where the Heat return home hoping to take the lead in the series yet again. The Celtics responded to their home loss in Game 3 with a win to make it 5 of 5 wins after losses in the post season.
Celtics vs. Heat Game 4
After four games the Eastern Conference Final is all square at 2-2 after Boston evened the series with a convincing win over the Miami Heat on Monday night. AS English will be with you for tonight’s Game 5 from Miami, bringing you live coverage, stats, scores and highlights of tonight’s contest from FTX Arena.