Game Recap

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Marc D'Amico

Dominant from the jump. That’s what the Boston Celtics were Wednesday night. They smelled blood in the water, and they went in for the kill.

Boston pulled ahead 7-2 during the first two-plus minutes of action as the offense set the tone for an incredible first quarter of play. The C’s went on to pull ahead by as many as 18 points during the opening frame while dropping 41 points on the Heat.

To put that scoring outburst into perspective, Miami didn’t reach 41 points until the 4:33 mark of the second quarter.

This blowout got underway with 4:26 left in the first quarter when Jayson Tatum dropped in a technical free throw following a coach’s challenge from the Celtics. Tatum’s freebie initiated an 11-0 run, all of which was scored from beyond the arc or at the free-throw line, that helped Boston double Miami up by a count of 32-16 with 2:18 left in the frame.

That wasn’t the last time the Celtics doubled Miami up (or more), either. Boston cruised its way to the winner’s circle and directly into the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Q1 6:02 - [BOS 15-11] White Driving Dunk Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Horford (2 AST)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 118, Heat 84

Derrick White sure does like Miami, doesn’t he?

White was at the core of Boston’s 15-2 run midway through the first quarter of Game 4, a run which propelled the Celtics to another runaway win on the road. He accounted for 11 of the 15 points, including eight in a span of just 57 seconds to jumpstart Boston’s dominant night.

The 15-2 run was initiated by Kristaps Porzingis connecting on two free throws at the 7:26 mark. White then got into the act with his eight-point run before Jaylen Brown added in a free throw and a putback layup. White then ended the run with a 3-pointer at the 3:39 mark to push Boston ahead 29-14.

At that moment, White had already reached 16 points in the quarter. That number matched his postseason career high for points in a quarter. And he and the Celtics were just getting started.

Boston’s lead remained in double-figures for the remainder of the night while White went on to notch a new career high in the scoring column. The Celtics pulled ahead by as many as 28 points before completing the 102-88 win.

Miami’s defensive game plan is to limit Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. The problem for the Heat is that they forgot about Derrick White.

White stole Miami’s playoff slogan and was White Hot Monday night while piling up a game-high 38 points. That number stands as not only a new playoff career high, but a new overall career high for the seventh-year guard.

White shot a scorching-hot 15-for-26 from the field, including an 8-for-15 performance from long distance. His eight 3-pointers were just one shy of Miami’s team total of nine.

That’s not the only category where White competed with Miami’s team total. He also blocked three shots to match all of Miami’s players combined in that category.

White rounded out his box score with four boards and three assists during his nearly 41 minutes of action.

"Once you make a couple, the basket looks huge."

- Derrick White after scoring a career-high 38 points during Game 4

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 102, Heat 88

Boston dominated Game 3 from start to finish, all while delivering a message to the Heat that their shocking Game 2 victory had no chance of being repeated Saturday night.

The Celtics scored the first points of the night off a 3-pointer from Kristaps Porzingis and never looked back from there. They eventually pulled ahead by as many as 29 points, all while never trailing for a single second.

Bam Adebayo did answer Porzingis’ 3-pointer with a conventional three-point play of his own to knot things up at 3-3. However, the Celtics were off and running from there.

Boston scored the game’s next nine points to pull ahead 12-3 and to take early control of the game. All nine of those points were scored by the dynamic duo of Cookies & Cream.

Cream, AKA Porzingis, jumpstarted the run with five straight points, the first two coming off an alley-oop slam from Jrue Holiday, and the next three arriving from beyond the arc off a dish from Jayson Tatum. Cookies, AKA Jaylen Brown, then got into the mix with a driving layup and a tip-in off a missed 3-pointer from Derrick White.

While Porzingis and Brown were scoring nine straight, Boston’s defense was putting the clamps down on Miami’s offense at the other end of the floor. The Celtics forced Miami into nine consecutive misses and a turnover following Adebayo’s early bucket.

The game might as well have ended there, with the Celtics leading 12-3 at the 6:20 mark. All Boston did was pull away from there before coasting into the winner’s circle to take a 2-1 series lead.

The Jays tied each other for Game 3’s top scoring mark, so how do we break the tie? On this night, it’s by efficiency and defensive numbers, so Jaylen Brown gets the nod.

Brown tied Jayson Tatum for the game’s top scoring mark with 22 points. He scored those points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field, good for a 55 percent conversion rate. That field goal percentage was the highest in the game among the seven players who attempted at least 10 shots. Brown also added in three assists at the offensive end, while committing just one turnover.

The star wing put in work at the defensive end, too. He grabbed six defensive boards and eight rebounds overall to finish second on the team in that category, trailing only Tatum’s 11 total rebounds. Brown led the game in steals with two and tied Miami’s team total with that number. He also was one of four Celtics to block a shot during the game, as he swatted away one shot.

"We had two days off, so any days off after a loss in the Playoffs is tough. So we were just ready to come out here and play. We played right poise on both ends of the floor, and we gotta repeat it on Monday."

- Jayson Tatum on bouncing back from Game 2

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 104, Heat 84

If you’re a Celtics fan and feel like you relived a nightmare Wednesday night, we have news for you: You are not alone.

A year after playing Boston and putting forth one of the most shocking 3-point performances over an entire series in NBA history, Miami did it again – at least for one game – Wednesday at TD Garden.

The Heat shot an incredible 53.5 percent from long range during Game 2 while tying for the third-most 3-pointers ever made in an NBA playoff game, with 23. Tyler Herro was the head of the snake for Miami as he made six 3-pointers, while old foe Caleb Martin rediscovered his magic from last postseason to shoot 5-for-6 from distance.

Miami’s 3-point shooting was the difference in the game. The Heat outscored Boston by 33 points from beyond the arc and never caught a cold spell. As such, there was never an opportunity for the Celtics to stage a comeback.

The closest Boston got during the fourth quarter was five points at the 6:22 mark. That moment, which featured an and-one driving layup by Derrick White, was promptly followed by a 3-pointer from Haywood Highsmith. Moments later, after a Jaylen Brown scored a driving layup, Miami answered with another 3-pointer from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

That 3-pointer was the back-breaker. It pushed Miami ahead by nine with 5:37 to go, and the Celtics never cut that deficit to fewer than six from that moment on.

Jaylen Brown’s Game 1 did not live up to his standards. He certainly responded during Game 2 by pouring in a game-high 33 points against Miami.

Brown found his rhythm during the second quarter, and particularly at the end of that frame, to fuel his big night. He canned three 3-pointers in a span of just 58 seconds, and then finished the half with a running layup to push Boston ahead by three points at the break.

He finished the contest having shot 13-for-23 from the field and 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed eight rebounds to tie three other teammates for the top mark on the team, all while tallying an assist, a steal and a blocked shot over 37-plus minutes of action.

"We've been built on taking what the defense gives us and being able to win in different ways. And so over the course of the season, winning the shot margin the way that we did, and from the free-throw line, more offensive rebounds and less turnovers, that's a recipe for long-term success."

- Joe Mazzulla's outlook following Game 2

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Keys to the Game: Heat 111, Celtics 101

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The Boston Celtics started the 2nd half strong and had their foot on the pedal in tonight’s win against The Pelicans.

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Unfiltered presented by Franklin Templeton | 3/30 at NOP

Taylor Snow

Cause Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown to get mad during a game? You’re in trouble.

Anger both Jays at the same time? That's game over.

After being involved in back-to-back questionable calls toward the end of the second quarter Saturday evening, Tatum, Brown, and the rest of the team channeled their frustration into a 27-point swing in their favor.

The Celtics were trailing 56-51 when emotions began to rise, and the team went on a 41-14 run after that point to put the game away.

Around the one-minute mark, Tatum was called for a technical foul after becoming visibly frustrated by a non-call. On the very next possession, Brown was called for a contentious shooting foul on Zion Williamson, who missed both free throws in ball-don’t-lie fashion. After that, the Celtics scored eight points over the final 37 seconds of the half, including a Derrick White buzzer-beating three to put them up 59-57.

Boston carried its momentum into the third frame and put forth its best defensive quarter in nearly two-and-a-half years. The C’s outscored New Orleans, 24-11, marking the fewest points they’ve given up in a quarter since Nov. 13, 2021, when they surrendered nine points in the first frame at Cleveland.

From there, Boston kept building its lead well into the. The Pelicans went on a small run toward the end, but the game was never in doubt as the Celtics rolled to a 104-92 finish.

Kristaps Porzingis had one of his more well-rounded performances in a Celtics uniform Saturday evening, leading the game in several statistical categories.

The 7-foot-3 center put up 19 points and three assists to go along with game-highs of 10 rebounds, four blocks, two steals, and a plus/minus rating of plus-12 in just over 31 minutes of action.

KP shot 5-of-8 from inside the 3-point arc and also made all six of his free-throw attempts.

Plus, his defense was spectacular against Pelicans' star Zion Williamson, whom he helped limit to just 3-of-9 shooting during the second half.

"I think sometimes you need to get punched in the mouth."

– Jrue Holiday on Boston turning the game around after trailing for most of the 1st half.

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 104, Pelicans 92

Boston falls just short in OT losing our 2nd straight against Atlanta.

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Unfiltered presented by Franklin Templeton | 3/28 at ATL

Jaylen Brown made a clutch shot with a defender draped all over him.

Six seconds later, Dejounte Murray one-upped him.

Right after Brown drained a pullup jumper from the right elbow to push the Celtics ahead by one with 6.6 seconds left in overtime, Murray answered with the biggest shot of the night at the other end. Out of a timeout, Murray went one-on-one with Jrue Holiday and created just enough space to get off a jumper from straight away and 21 feet out ahead of the buzzer. This shot, which marked Murray’s 44th of the night, swished through the net despite the fact that Holiday’s left hand was touching Murray’s stomach as he rose up from the ground, and despite the fact that Holiday contested the shot perfectly with that same left hand.

Murray’s shot fell through the net with 0.1 seconds remaining on the clock to provide Atlanta with a 123-122 lead. Boston called for a timeout and advanced the ball to midcourt, but the chances of converting on a lob to the rim with that much time remaining was nearly zero percent. Derrick White wound up lobbing the ball in and he actually made a shot from out of bounds. That is technically a turnover, which sealed Atlanta’s fourth straight win.

Jayson Tatum logged the trifecta Thursday night by leading the Celtics in all three major categories. He led the team in scoring with 31 points, he led the team and tied for the game high in rebounds with 13, and he led Boston with six assists.

That’s not the end of Tatum’s “leader” status in the box score. His nine made field goals tied for the top mark on the team, and his 11 makes and 13 attempts from the free-throw line both led the game.

"Their offensive rating for the game was 1.15, and ours was 1.20, so if we rebound the basketball and hold them to one shot, we win in regulation."