Celtics 107 vs 118 Heat summary: stats and highlights | Eastern Conference Finals
The Miami Heat used a monstrous third quarter to carry them to an opening win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Jimmy Butler was the star of the show scoring 41 points in the 118-107 victory in Miami.
Heat shake off slow first half
Eric Spoelstra’s side came out cold in the opening few minutes starting the first quarter 0-7 from the field. Miami may have come into the game out of rhythm, but course corrected after going to half trailing by eight points after a flat first two quarters.
Boston and Miami were two of the top defensive teams in the league all year but it was the Heat defense and Jimmy Butler who led a charge to remember in the third quarter.
The Heat started the second half on a 22-2 run to snatch the lead from the Cetlics, while keeping Boston from hitting a field goal for the first seven minutes of the third quarter. Butler went on to score 17 points in the third, while Jayson Tatum and the Celtics were held to 2/15 from the field.
Defense makes the difference
Miami locked in defensively in the fourth and withstood a late surge from the Celtics while containing Tatum, who had 21 points in the first half, to 29 for the game and forcing him to turn the ball over seven times.
Butler registered his third 40 point game of the playoffs in his 41 point, 9 rebound, 5 assist, four steal night in which he was 17-18 from the line. For as good as Butler was, it was the defense that made the difference. The Heat forced 16 turnovers and had 12 block shots in the Game 1 win.
The Heat will look to take a two games to none lead on Thursday when they return to the FTX Arena. Tip off is schduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
Butler had 41 points in a sensational Game 1 from Miami.
Vincent chipped in with 17 points.
Herro came up big off the bench with 15 first half points.
The Heat had 12 blocks on the night to secure the Game 1 win.
Jimmy had 14 in the first half to set the tone for the Heat
It's all over from Miami! The Heat win Game 1 with a sensational second half.
Butler with a final bucket, and he's got his third 40 points game of the playoffs.
Vincent to the line and he hits both FTs.
Pritchard drops a three ball to make it a seven point game with 1:30 to go.
Brown to the line and he hits both FTs.
Butler on the spin around from the baseline and he's got 39!!!
Brown in the corner for three and the lead is cut to 10.
Strus hits the three ball and that might have just ended this game.
Brown to the FT line and he drops both. Then hits a three ball to make it a 10 point game with 3:18 to go.
Butler back at the line. He hits both and is 17-18 from the stripe.
Butler with the mid range jumper and he's got 35.
Brown to the line, he hits both.
Adebayo gets one of two to go from the line.
Strus for three! The long balls are flowing here in the fourth quarter frm FTX Arena.
Brown answers back with a triple try.
Vincent punches back with a three ball!
Tatum drops a three ball to respond.
Butler with the shot clock winding down! He's got 33
Boston is on a 10-0 run. Timeout Heat.
G. Williams to the line and he hits two of two.
Brown hits the baseline jumper off the inbound.
Pritchard with a three ball, and Boston is going to need plenty more of that in the next 10 minutes.
Adebayo gets called for the flagrent after undercutting R. WIlliams. He hits one of two FTs and the Celtics get the ball back.
Pritchard to the line and he hits two of two.
Herro fouled on the three ball, and he hits all three. The lead in 20.
Butler back at the line and he hits both to bring us to the end of the third quarter. Miami took control with a 22-2 run to start the third, and held the Celtics to 2/13 shooting in the quarter.
Dedmon to the line, and he gets both to go.
Butler back to the line where he hits both. He's got 29 on the night.
Vincent drills a three and he's got 15! Miami have their largest lead of the night.
Vincent get the mid range jumper to go.
Tatum back at the line. He gets both to go, and this third quarter has gone by at a snails pace because of all the fouls. We were promised defensive physical basketball and that's what we're getting. Both FTs are good.
Dedmon gets the roll after Tucker misses two FTs and Miami gets the offensive rebound.
Vincent at the line and he gets both to drop.
Tatum going back to the line where he hits one of two. He's got 24 on the night.
Butler at the line and he drops both. 27 points already for Butler who has 13 this quarter.
Theis with the offensive rebound and the put back. Great response from the Celtics who looked lost for much of this quarter.
Tatum at the line and he gets both to go. He needed to see the ball go in the basket after going scoreless to this point in the second half.
R. Wililams gets the bucket to go and 1! That is the first FG for the Celitcs in the second half. There is 4:53 to go in the third. FT is good and Boston stops the bleeding.
R. Wiliams to the line and he hits two of two.
Butler with back to back steal and slams out of the timeout and FTX Arena is rocking!!!
Miami is the team creating the turnovers and converting them to points on the other end. This time it's Strus on the easy jam and the Celtics need a timeout after and 18-2 run from Miami to start the second half.
Butler off the dribble, he hits the jumper from the mid range
Boston needs to get Tatum involved before this game gets out of hand.
Butler to the line, he hits one of two.
Brown to the line and he hits one of two.
Strus nails a three ball out of the timeout!
Butler with the put back and Miami take a rare lead tonight after a hot start out of the gate in the second half. 10-1 run for the Heat and the Celtics need a timeout.
Vincent with the shot clock winding down and he drills the three ball!
Brown to the line and he hits one of two.
Adebayo gets the and 1 to go and G. Williams just picked up his third foul. FT is good and we are back to a three point game.
We are back in action from Miami!! Butler at the line to start the third and he hits both.
For most people this shot is a prayer, for Tatum this is routine.
The Celtics swarming defense turned into easy points on the other end on a number of occasions in the first half.
Herro is keeping the Heat in this contest off the bench. They will need more of that in the second half.
R. Wiliams is always a threat down low, but when he gives you 12 first half points the Celtics are a very tough team to contain.
Herro had an immediate impact off the bench. He's got 15 points to lead the Heat.
Tatum, as he has been all season, was unstoppable in the first half.
The Celtics got off to a hot start thanks to some great defense and hot shooting.
Tyler Herro has 15 points off the bench to lead the Heat and Jimmy Butler has 14 after the first half.
Tatum is the top scorer with 21 points while Robert Wiliams has chipped in 12.
The first half is all over and the Celtics use some fantasic defense to take the lead for almost the entire 24 minutes.
Butler from mid range.
White to the bucket after the block from Tatum.
Tatum at the line and he knocks down both. He's over 20 for the night as we are under a minute to go in the half.
Herro in transition after the steal and Herro is keeping the Heat in the game with 15 points off the bench.
Butler back to the line and he drops both FTs.
Tatum from downtown off the dribble and he's got 19 points in the first half.
Herro with the short jumper and he's into double digits.
Martin with a three ball, and the Heat are scoring they just need a stop on the defensive end.
Theis with a jam after Tatum draws the defense.
Tatum with an impossible shot and he's got 16 on the night.
Herro hits the jumper and the scoring is starting to pick up here in Miami.
Williams on the driving lay up after a quick counter off the made bucket.
Herro on the runner
Tatum high off the glass with the lay in.
Vincent from downtown! Will that spark a little run from the Heat?
Butler to the line, hitting both. He's got 10 points and is 4/4 from the line.
Pritchard breaks out in transition after the a rebound and the quick outlet.
Wililams finds Theis wide open down low. Boston has 13 assists already
Butler to the line after getting fouled by Williams. He hits two of two.
PJ Tucker hobbles off the court and into the locker room after an apparent righr foot injury. We will keep you updated with any news we have about the Heat forward.
Pritchard with a FT line jumper and he's got 8 points off the bench.
Oladipo stops the bleeding after the timeout with a floater.
Pritchard with a three ball and just like that the lead in 11! Timeout Heat after a 9-0 run for the Celtics.
Brown on the pull up with a hand in his face and he's got 7 points tonight.
Naismith with the steal and Brown gets the eurostep to drop on the other end.
Tatum back up top to Williams and R. Williams jams it down. He's got 12.
Miami to the line for the first time today. Adebayo hits both and he's got 6 points.
Tatum up top and R. Williams throws down the alley oop after a couple of offensive rebounds.
Oladipo responds with a three ball
Tatum with the steal and the score to start the quarter. He's on track for another 40 points game.
We are at the end of the first quarter with the Celtics up by three. Tatum has 10 pionts to lead all scorers, R. Williams has contributed 8 for Boston while Herro has 7 off the bench to lead the Heat.
Herron in the paint finishing with the soft touch.
Pritachard with a three ball off the bench.
Tatum with a tough floater in traffic. He's in double digits.
20 of the Heat's 23 points have come from inside the paint.
Tatum going back to the rack on a strong drive and he's getting some easy looks around the iron.
Steal by the Heat out of the timeout and Oladipo hits Martin for the slam in transition.
Timeout Celtics after an 8-1 Heat run to draw level. 2:40 left in the first quarter.
Six quick points from the Heat by Dedmon, Herro, and Butler to tie the game up for the first time since 0-0
White at the line and he hit one of two.
Vincent getting to the hoop and hitting his first basket of the game.
R. Williams back down low, and he's got 8 points already.
Adebayo streaking down the lane and finishing. He's got a couple buckets around the rim already.
Butler knocks down the mid range jumper for his second FG of the night.
White to Wiliams for back to back buckets.
Williams ripping away the offensive rebound and putting it back. He's got four on the night.
Herro off the bench and on the board with a spot up three ball.
Tatum with the and one on the drive, he missed the FT, but Strus picks up his second.
Butler on the board for the first time tonight.
Steal by Williams who releases Tatum in transition for the easy lay up.
Brown with a three ball, and he is going to be so big as the secondary scorer for the Celtics this series.
Tucker with a floater and the Heat have back to back buckets.
Adebayo on the turn around gets the first bucket of the game three minutes in after the Heat go 0-7 to start the game.
R. Williams fouled on the follow up. he goes to the line and hits two of two. Celtics with an early seven point lead.
Tatum driving and finishing down the lane for his first points of the series.
Grant Williams with a three ball and he gets going early after setting a career high 27 points in Game 7 against the Bucks.
Here we go!!! Game 1 of the ECF is underway from FTX Arena.
With Smart and Horford out the Celtics have had to adjust their starting five for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Eric Spoelstra's starting 5 for Game 1 of the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals.
Jayson Tatum has been and will be the man for the Boston Celtics. He is playing at a world class level during the playoffs averinging 28.3 points, 6.1 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals in the postseason,
Jimmy Butler has brought his game to a new level in the post season. He is averaging 28.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists in the 2022 Playoffs.
R and R for Miami
While it doesn't seen like much, the Miami Heat have had two more days rest than the Boston Celtics who were taken to a Game 7 on Sunday. At this stage in the season a few days of extra rest and recovery can make all the difference. Miami's four days of rest is just the right amount to get everyone refreshed for a new series, but not too out of rhythm. Let's see if rest comes into play tonight in Game 1.
The Boston Celtics haven't forgotten about the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals from two years ago. They have brushed the Nets and the Bucks aside, now it's time to avenge their early exit from the playoffs two years ago.
The Celtics come into tonight short handed after Al Horford was put in Heatlh and Safety Protocol, while Marcus Smart will sit out Game 1 with a sprained foot.
Defense the name of the game says Horford
Al Horford expects a physical, defensive battle coming into this Eastern Conference Finals series. "It's the playoffs, and I feel like the deeper that you go, it's more intense, it's physical," veteran big man Al Horford said on Monday. "Even though the first round was very physical for us, it's not going to be any different. Both teams play hard, but both teams defensively are tops in the league, or one of the best for sure. It's just a given that both teams are going to go hard."
Spoelstra Speaks coming into Game 1
Coming into tonight's Game 1, Eric Spoelstra told reporters his guys will be ready for a scrap against one of the best teams of this calendar year. "Our guys love competition and love being challenged," Spoelstra said on Monday. "They love taking on big challenges. That's what we're facing. Boston has played as well as anyone in the entire league once they got to 2022. It's not by accident. They're playing very strong basketball. They do it on both ends."
Victor Oladipo looks like he's in the mood during warm ups. He has played a huge role coming off of injury late in the season, will he continue to shine in the ECF?
Boston is in the building and they are showing that summer time drip coming into FTX Arena.
How they got here: Celtics
Boston had a terrific end to the season after starting off the campaign on a rocky road. After a marvelous comeback in which they flirted with the top seed in the East, they finished second, just two games back of the Heat. They matched up against the the Brooklyn Nets who they shockingly swept as they sent warning signs around the Conference. The Bucks took Game 2 in Boston in the second round series, and would eventually go up 2-1 on the Celtics. But Boston fought back in Game 4 from Milwaukee to tie the series. Thats when the road teams took charge on the series winning Game’s 5 and 6, but Grant Williams of all people led the Celtics in Game 7 to get Boston to the Conference Finals.
How they got here: Heat
After finishing the regular season with the top record in the East, Miami smoked the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs. They dropped only one game in the opening series of the post season before matching up with what many believed were the favorites to make it to the Finals in the Eastern Conference. After taking care of business in their first three home games in the second round series, they went to Philly and beat the Sixers to earn their spot in their second Conference Finals appearance in the last three years.
We are live from Dade County
Hello everyone and welcome to Miami where the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference will face off for a spot in the NBA Finals. The Celtics are coming off of a convincing Game 7 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, while the Heat polished off the Philadelphia 76ers in six games on Thursday of last week.
Celtics vs. Heat Game 1
It’s Conference Finals time, and we start off in Miami where the Heat host the Boston Celtics from FTX Arena. AS English will be keeping you up to the minute with live scores, stats and highlights from tonight’s Game 1.