Miami Heat 97 vs 110 Boston Celtics summary: stats and highlights | NBA Playoffs Game 5

The Boston Celtics are staying alive in the Eastern Conference Finals after a second straight win over the Miami Heat to force a Game 6 in Miami on Saturday night. Derrick White led all scorers with 25 points, hitting a playoff career high six three pointers, in the 110-97 victory on Thursday night. 

Boston D locks down Heat

White made his third straight start in the series after making a big impacting the Celtics Game 4 win scoring 11 first half points to give a spark to Boston’s offense. He scored 11 in the first quarter of Game 5 and hit three early threes as the home side went up big early on. 

Jayson Tatum had 12 in the opening quarter, but it was the defense, and the hustle that allowed White and Tatum to jump out to hot starts from TD Garden. The Celtics defense forced four turnovers in the first five minutes of the game as the lead stretched out to 15 thanks to seven threes to start the game. 

Tatum quieted down for the rest of the game, but he didn’t have to be great as the rest of the cast would keep a comfortable cushion over the. It may have been a quiet night scoring but Tatum ended the game with 21 points, adding 8 rebounds and 11 assists to his stat sheet, while three other Celtics starters finished with 20+ points. 

Celtics starters carry Boston to Game 6

After scoring a postseason low 20 points in the first quarter, the Heat tried to pull back into the game in the second by closing the gap to 11, but Jaylen Brown and Boston pulled away before halftime as Brown went into the break with 15 of his 21 on the night and the lead stretched to 20 right before both teams hit the locker room. 

Jimmy Butler was kept quiet by Boston’s ferocious defense, scoring just 14 points and sitting the entire fourth quarter. Gabe Vincent was sidelined for Miami after twisting his ankle in the second half of Game 4, and with one of their main scorers sidelined the Heat didn’t have enough fire power to get back into the ball game. 

Marcus Smart seems like he has finally blown the lid off of the rim after struggling terribly from the field in this series, the former Defensive Player of the Year went for 23 points and hit four of his six three point attempts. Boston shot 16/39 from downtown on a night in which just about everything went right for the C’s. They forced 16 turnovers, 13 of those were steals, and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds as they cruised to victory. 

We are headed back to Miami on Saturday night

By the middle of the final quarter the game was out of reach and both teams went to their benches as the focus shifts to an all important Game 6 in Miami. Boston have the momentum, but have to hit the road and steal one in Dade County before thinking about coming back home and potentially making history as the only team to comeback from an 0-3 deficit to start a series. 

The Celtics have won four of their last five games in Miami, so they will be more than confident of taking care of business on the road. Tip-off to Game 6 from Miami is set for 8:30 pm ET, make sure you clear your calendar because that’s going to be a must see matchup from Kaseya Center. 

You can bet that Derrick White will be in the starting five in Miami on Saturday night after putting up a game high 24 points and hitting 6/8 from behind the three point line. 

JB and JT didn't need to be spectacular in the win on Thursday night. They let their teammates carry some of the load in a night where four Celtics ended with 20 or more points. 

Smart looked like he opened the flood gates, and set a career record with 5 steals in the Game 5 win. 

The Celtics had 13 steals all game, and built a big enough lead to be able to rest their starters for most of the fourth quarter. 

Marcus Smart was out coming out of the halftime break, and he continued to keep the Celtics with a comfortable cushion heading into the fourth quarter. 

Boston ended the night with 12 offensive rebounds, 8 of those came in the first half and the Celtics capitalized with easy second chance points like this one. 

Boston's 10 forced turnovers in the first half led to 14 points on the break and the lead crept up to 20 before the half. 

Jaylen Brown came to life in the second quarter and went to halftime leads all scorers with 15 thanks to 8 quick points out of the quarter change. 

White got a third straight start for the Celtics and rewarded his coach with an outstanding shooting night from downtown. He had three threes and 11 points in the first quarter. 

Tatum had 12 in the first quarter and this dunk lit the TD Garden up. You knew it was going to be electric in Boston and the fans delivered for Game 5. Will they get to see a Game 7 back in Beantown?

Turnovers and offensive rebounds will win you ball games, and on Thursday the Celtics did both. 

Marcus Smart has had a rough series, or at least he was up until Game 5. He hit a couple early threes and found his rhythm for the rest of the night. 

The tone was set early by the Celtics and they did it with defense. They forced four turnovers in the first five minutes of the game as Boston landed punch and didn't look back. 

IT'S ALL OVER!!! THE CELTICS GO WIRE TO WIRE IN A BLOWOUT WIN AND THIS SERIES IS HEADED FOR GAME 6!!!

Hauser with a deep triple to put the cherry on top of this win and we will see you in Game 6 back in Miami!

Robinson hits the finger roll with 1:15 to go. 

Lowry drills a three ball, and hold on.. the lead is down to 12 with under 2 to go. 

Robinson to the line after the foul on Williams and he hits both FTs. 

Open jam for Yurtsven out of the timeout. All the starters are out for both teams for the remainder of the game. 

R. Williams gets the floater to go from outside the paint of this assist from Tatum. 

Timeout Heat with 3:20 to go in Game 5!

Love gets the close range bucket to go with under 4:00 to go. 

WHITE DID IT AGAIN!! He's got 6 three ball on the night! 

Under 5:00 to go from Boston!

Love gets the tip in to fall after the missed Lowry lay up. Those are the first second chance points of the game for MIA. 

Brown drives baseline and he hits the runner after getting some contact at the rim. 

Highsmith with another three ball off the dish from Robinson!

Smart at the line after the foul on Robinson and he hits both FTs. 

Highsmith in the corner and he drills the three! He's getting some good minutes off the bench in the absence of Vincent. 

Boston wins the challenge and Tatum hits the mid range jumper out of the timeout. 

Brown missed and was called for the charge and Boston will challenge the call with under 8 to go in Game 5. 

Robinson with another strong drive down the lane and he gets the lay in to go off the glass. 

Love spots up from the elbow and hits the mid range jumper over the hand of G. Williams. 

HIghsmith with a spin and a finger roll over Tatum. 

Tatum to the line after the foul on Highsmith and he hits both FTs. 

G. Williams to the line after the foul on Robinson. He hits both FTs and the lead is up to 22, the largest of the night. 

White was fouled by Butler on a three ball and he makes two of three FTs. 

Martin hits the elbow jumper, and that's how the third quarter is going to end. 

Boston extended their lead by a point in that quarter as they continue to keep Miami at a comfortable distance. 

Tatum fires a bullet to R. Williams down low and he gets the reverse jam to go. 

Robinson hits Adebayo streaking down the lane and he finishes with the flush!

Martin answers back with a three ball of his own and that quiets the crowd down momentarily. 

Smart with the three ball after the kick out from Tatum and he's got 21 on the night!

Smart at the line out of the timeout and he hits one of two FTs. 

Smart fouled by Robinson after another turnover and he's going to the line after the timeout with 1:45 to go in the third quarter. 

Smart splits the zone and hits the floater over Adebayo. 

Robinson to the cup and hangs it high off the glass. He's got 12. 

White floats it up and over Adebayo for the deuce in the lane. 

Highsmith with the cut to the bucket and he gets the jam off the passs from Butler. 

Williams just off the bench and he drills a three ball off the pick and pop. 

Adebayon with the FT line jumper and he's got four straight buckets. 

Tatum at the line and he hits one of two FTs after the foul on Highsmith. 

Adebayon with the board on one end and he hits the short shot under the bucket on the other. 

Adebayo spots up from the elbow and gets the jumper to go. 

Brown slashing diagonally across the lane and hangs in the air and hits the fader from outside the lane. 

Strus hanging in up and Adebayo was there to tip it in. 

Tatum drives to the lane and gets credit for the FG after the goaltending call. 

Butler with the turnaround and he hits the shot from outside the paint. 

Tatum spots up from the baseline and hits the mid range jumper over Strus. 

White comes out of the break and strings a three ball from the top of the key! He's 5/7 from DT on the night!

Highsmith was left open for three in the corner and Butler hit him for the triple try! 

Timeout Celtics with 7:47 to go in the third quarter. 

Smart gets the short jumper to go from outside the paint. 

Butler goes coast to coast and finishes with the lay in off the glass. 

Smart with the kick out to Brown who sprints down the side line and finishes with the two handed jam!

Butler turns and puts up a floater on the baseline and will he heat up for Miami in this third quarter?

Horford spins on Lowry on the block and he throws it down with the nice post move. 

We are back in Boston for the second half of Game 5. 

White has been the player of the game so far, hitting 4/5 three and he goes to the break with 14 points. 

Finally a Heat highlight. There weren't many but Jimmy Butler got the steal and the score to cut the lead to 13. He has 8 at half after a cold opening to the game. 

Turnovers and rebounds, that's what wins games. Boston is dominating both categories and that's why they are dominating on the scoreboard. 

The 10 Miami TOs led to 14 points on the break for Boston. It's been a bad night for Miami so far and if they have any chance of closing out the series tonight, they have to start holding on to the ball. 

Brown came to life in the second quarter scoring eight quick points as Tatum went to the bench after the quarter change. 

White had three threes in the first quarter after getting his third straight start in this series. He has been a difference maker in the last six quarters. 

Tatum had 12 in the first quarter to get the Celtics rolling, but he goes into half with 12 after a scoreless second. He won't be too upset, his team lead by 17. 

Horford was banging on the boards from the beginning and his hustle led to a Tatum three ball. Boston has 8 offensive rebounds at the half. 

Smart has been struggling in this series, but this might be the game that blows the lid off. He had two quick threes and ended the half with 13. 

Tatum got going early on, but it was the defense that set the tone for the C's in the first quarter. 

We are headed to halftime and it's the Celtics who have dominated from TD Garden through 24 minutes!

Tatum got things going with 12 quick points, he goes to half with 12, but White has 14 after going wild from DT. He's 4/5 from long range, Smart is 3/4 from three point range with 13 first half points and Brown has 15 with three threes to his name. 

Boston hit 11/25 threes, turned the Heat over 10 times which lead to 14 points on the break, and they have eight offensive rebounds. That first half couldn't have gone more to script for the C's. 

Miami's top scorer is Robinson with 10 off the bench. Jimmy has 8 and Adebayo has 9. 

Adebayo got the tough jumper to go with three bodies around him in the lane. 

Butler to the line after the foul on White and he hits one of two FTs 

Smart walks into a three ball and the Celtics lead by 20 with 1:20 to go in the half!

Brown picks off the pass from Martin and he lays it up and in on the break. 

Whits spots up from long range and hits another three ball! That's 4/5 from DT for him. 

Butler at the line after the break and he hits the FT. 

Butler picks up the loose ball, sprints to the iron and get the slam and the foul! FT coming after the timeout with 2:59 to go in the first half. 

White with the offensive boards and he lays it up for Williams who hammers it home on the alley oop!

Smart to the line after the foul on Robinson and he hits both FTs. 

Caleb Martin to the line after the foul on G. Williams and he hits both FTs. 

Brown follows up the missed three from Horford and he puts it back off the offensive board. 

Robinson with the catch and drive and he finishes with the floater high off the glass. 

Robinson looked off Horford and hits the finger roll on the baseline. 

Highsmith with the steal and the score on the break after picking off Tatum. 

Timeout Celtics with 7:21 to go in the second quarter. 

Horford drills a deep two and everyone is firing for the Celtics tonight. 

Robinson calms things down with a three ball from the top of the key. 

Horford follows up the Smart missed lay up with a tip slam after the Smart steal. 

Brown with his second three of the quarter and that's the C's 9th already!

Lowry hits the catch and shoot jumper from the mid range. 

Brown with a strong drive and soft touch after running into a wall in the lane. 

Martin puts it on the deck and takes Williams to the rack for the lay in off the glass. 

Robinson with a side dribble and pull up from long range to get on the board for the first time tonight. 

Brown starts the quarter off with a three ball and that's 8 threes to start Boston's night!

That first quarter couldn't have gone any better for the Celtics! Tatum scored 12 and White has 11 after some hot shooting from DT while the Boston defense cause 6 early turnovers that turned into points on the break. 

White steps back and drills his third three ball of the first quarter as the buzzer sounds to bring an end to the first quarter!

Defensive three second call leads to a FT for Tatum, but he missed the gimme. 

Robinson lays it off for Zeller who gets the floater in the lane to fall. 

White was left open for a second time tonight and for the second time he drills a three ball!

Butler dumps it off to Zeller across the paint for the slam. 

G. Williams at the line and he hits one of two FTs after the foul on Robinson. 

Martin comes out of the timeout and drills a corner three off the kickout from Butler. 

Martin comes out of the timeout and drills a corner three off the kickout from Butler. 

Tatum finds a pocket of space and cocks it back and drops the hammer!! He's got 13 already and the Heat take a timeout with 3:18 left in the 1st quarter. 

Martin with a lay in off the spin on the block. 

Tatum got bumped hits the runner on the baseline and got the foul! FT is good for the three point play. 

Butler got fouled on his way up and he hits one of two FTs after the foul on Tatum. 

Strus answers with a three ball and the Heat need him and Martin to step up in the absence of Vincent. 

White nails a three ball and that's five threes in the first 7 minutes for Boston!

Adebayon snaps the run with a lay in off a pick and roll. 

White drills a contested pull up from a step inside the FT line. 

Two offensive boards from Horford leads to a wide open three for Tatum and the C's have four quick threes to start the game!

Smart was left open in the same spot and drills a second straight corner three!!!

Miami has 4 turnovers in five minutes and trail by 10 already! Timeout Boston with under 7 to go in the first quarter. 

Tatum drives and draws the D then kicks it out to Smart for the corner three!

Extra pass from Horford to Brown in the corner and Brown drills the three ball!! He is 4/27 from DT in the series, and the C's would love to see him snap that shooting spell tonight. 

Tatum got Td up after the dunk for petitioning for a foul, and Butler hits the FT. 

Tatum puts it on the deck, blows past Lowry and throws it down with two hands!

Butler with the up and under move on Brown and he hits the leaner from the baseline. 

Smart drives down the lane and hangs it high off the glass. 

Miami goes back to Adebayo who takes it to the cup and lays it off the glass. 

Tatum streaks to the rack on the break after Adebayo lost control of the ball. 

GAME 5 IS UNDERWAY FROM TD GARDEN IN BOSTON!

Starting five for Boston

For the third straight game, Joe Mazzulla will start the night with Derrick White in the starting line up. White put up 11 in the first half and added a bit of energy on both ends to spark the Game 4 win in Miami. Tonight it's going to be up to everyone to extend this series in a building where the Celtics have only won four of nine games this postseason. 

Heat starting five

The Miami Heat will be without Gabe Vincent who twisted his ankle in the second half of Game 4. He was the star of Game 3, scoring a career high 29 points and last game he posted 17 before getting injured. Tonight Caleb Martin fills it to the starting five, which is a decent substitution but their thin bench gets even thinner tonight against the Celtics in Boston. 

What Boston is up against 

Everyone already knows that the Celtics are up against the seemingly impossible. An 0-3 deficit has never been overcome in the history of the NBA, but that’s what the Celtics have to do if they want to reach the Finals for the second straight year. There have only been three instances in which teams came back from an 0-3 disadvantage to tied the seres at 3-3, but all three of those teams fell in Game 7.

The good news, if you want to call it that, is all three of those teams who nearly completed the historic comeback were on the road for the 7th and decisive game. The Celtics, should they make it that far, would have a chance to win the series at home in the TD Garden. The other bit of good news, if you want to call it that, is that Boston already knows what it is to celebrate a comeback from 0-3. The ’04 Red Sox completed the historic feat against the Yankees in the ALCS to book a ticket to the World Series. 

Jimmy’s going to be alright

For some reason people think that somehow the pressure has been shifted to the shoulders of the Heat players after Boston’s win in Miami earlier this week. It’s true of the three games remaining in the series, should it go that far, two are in Boston but that doesn’t seem to be worrying Jimmy Butler or Miami too much. After the 17 point loss in Game 4, Playoff Jimmy came into the press conference singing the chorus to Alicia Keys’ hit “No One” the lyrics go “People keep talking, they can say what they like, But all I know is everything's gonna be alright” 

C’s vs. elimination 

Tonight marks the third time the Celtics will be up against elimination in this playoff run. In the first two encounters the Celtics didn’t just survive or advance in the case of Game 7 against Philly, they dominated. We know how good of a team this is capable of being. They showed us that for essentially all season, but the Heat have had their number or at least it seemed like that until Game 4.

Jayson Tatum looked like his brilliant self in the second half of the game as the Celtics hit 18 threes, which is one of their main keys to success. In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semis, it was Tatum who went wild for 51 points and carried the Celtics to victory for a chance to meet the Heat in the Conference Finals. In the two elimination games so far, Tatum is averaging 42, 12 and 6 assists, tonight he and the C’s stare down elimination again, the question is, do they have anymore lives left?

Jimmy looking to spoil the party

Playoff Jimmy is alive and well. After just scoring just 16 points in the blowout win over the C’s in Game 3, he bounced back last game with 29 points on 9/21 shooting. He is averaging 29.9 points and 7 rebounds a game in this postseason, and it seems as the series goes on Jimmy is like a shark smelling blood. He attacks a team when they are at their most vulnerable and that’s what he will be looking to do tonight in Boston. As if Jimmy wasn’t in the spotlight enough during these playoffs, rumors have surfaced that he might be dating Shakira who was at the game in Miami, perhaps there to watch her new boo. 

What can Brown do for you?

For much of this postseason the Celtics have had a perfect distribution of which one of their start players will take over for a certain part of the game. Before this series, Jaylen Brown was sensational in the first half of just about every game of the C’s. Jayson Tatum has been the late game specialist as we saw on Tuesday night when the Celtics needed him most. What the Celtics need more than anything tonight is Jaylen Brown to be the Second Team All-NBA selection that he was all season. In this series he’s averaging just 16.7 points a game. His off-average series could be because of the elbow injury he suffered in Game 1, but he hasn’t said a thing about it in any of the press conferences which is admirable because something is obviously up but he’s not coming up with any excuses.  

Game 4 recap

With their backs against the wall the Celtics came out swinging in an elimination game on the road. Jayson Tatum had a slow start to the game, but turned it on in the second half scoring 25 of his 33 in the final two quarters. In the beginning of the game it was Al Horford and Derrick which who got the Celtics going early. White got the start for the second straight game in this series and had 11 of his 16 in the first half. All five starters scored in double digits and Grant Williams had 14 off the bench. Jimmy Butler had 29, 9 and 5 assists, but Boston’s three point shooting was too much for the Heat to overcome. They hit 40% of the 35 threes they put up and cruised to victory as the defense locked down and allowed just 43 second half points. 

We are live from New England 

Hello everyone and welcome to Boston where the Celtics are back home and have a chance to extend the series for yet another game with a win tonight over the Miami Heat. The Heat didn’t seem to preoccupied with the loss in Game 4 on Tuesday, knowing they have three more chances to close out the defending Eastern Conference Champions. Closing the C’s out in Miami proved to be a tough task for the Heat so doing it on the road in a hostile environment in New England will be even tougher although the Celtics have been shockingly subpar at home this postseason, so maybe this will be just what the Heat need. 

Heat vs. Celtics Game 5

The Miami Heat still a win away from the NBA Finals after giving the Boston Celtics a breath of life on Tuesday night from Kaseya Center. The C’s return to Boston tonight, facing elimination and looking to extend the series in Game 4 tonight. AS English will be with you all night providing live coverage, stats, highlights and analysis of tonight’s potential knockout game from TD Garden.