By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Boston Celtics handed the Miami Heat another drubbing loss in their Eastern Conference NBA playoff first-round matchup, 104-84, to retake a 2-1 series lead on April 28, 2024.
Fresh off a demoralizing loss against the Heat on their home floor several days ago, the Celtics arrived in Miami with cruel intentions and scored a wire-to-wire victory to avoid a 1-2 series hole.
Boston immediately dictated the pace of the game after holding a nine-point lead in the first 12 minutes of action, 21-12.
After a low-scoring first-quarter affair, the Celtics quickly wore their jet booster packs and dropped 42 points in the second frame alone to increase its cushion to 24 points heading into the second half.
Despite a better defensive showing for the Heat in the third quarter that slowed the pace of the game down, it was still Boston who was dictating the offensive department as the duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown answered the call for the Celtics.
Turning on to someone who can create a spark for the Heat off the bench, head coach Erik Spoelstra deployed veteran shooter Patty Mills in the fourth and started to hit shots from downtown.
However, everytime Mills drains a trey, Tatum and the rest of the Boston mob always fired back and spoiled the Heat’s comeback attempt.
Tatum and Brown each scored 22 points for the Celtics while Kristaps Porzingis contributed 18 points, his best scoring performance of the series so far to go alongside five rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and an assist.
Meanwhile, Derrick White also chipped in for the Celtics and added 16 points, five boards, and three dimes while big man Al Horford had nine points and six rebounds.
Miami will look to equalize the series at 2-2 on April 30, 2024, while the Celtics seek for another win to head home to Boston carrying a 3-1 advantage.
