Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out as Celtics Top Heat in One of Their Best Performances This Season
On Thursday night in Miami, the Boston Celtics delivered one of their most complete performances this season.
The visitors maintained an up-tempo approach throughout the contest, consistently exploited whatever the hosts threw at Kristaps Porzingis -- more on him later -- and didn't let their energy or focus wane.
Those factors translated to shooting nearly 64 percent from the field, including a red-hot 22/40 (55 percent) from beyond the arc. Pushing the pace also fueled effective ball movement, repeatedly creating quality, in-rhythm attempts, and assisting on 35/51 makes.
On the heels of earning his fifth All-Star selection and fourth as a starter, Jayson Tatum paced all participants with 26 points. He paired that with a game-high eight rebounds and four assists.
Jaylen Brown, who figures to receive a roster spot at the All-Star Game as a reserve, registered 18 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals in Thursday's 143-110 win.
Jrue Holiday contributed 17 points, 11 coming in the third quarter, five rebounds, five assists, and a block.
The other half of the Stock Exchange, Derrick White, chipped in 15 points, six assists, six rebounds, and two rejections. Miami's only lead was when Terry Rozier scored on the hosts' first possession, a bucket immediately matched by the former Colorado Buffalo.
Porzingis, who punished switches, shot 6/9 from the floor and made 3/4 threes, finished with 19 points, but he exited early after landing on Bam Adebayo's foot and rolling his left ankle.
More on that in a deep dive into what stood out as the Celtics improved to 2-0 in their regular-season series with the Heat, earning a decisive victory, improving their NBA-leading record to 35-10.
1. One of the chief motivations for the Celtics' acquiring Kristaps Porzingis was his ability to punish switches, a tool they were sorely lacking against the Miami Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals.
The seven-foot-three center got off to an excellent start in Thursday's clash, scoring over smaller defenders, working pick-and-pops with Jayson Tatum to inflict damage from beyond the arc, and getting down the floor fast enough for open threes.
The former All-Star finished the first frame with 14 points on 5/7 shooting and made his 3,000th career field goal in the process, helping propel Boston to a 42-29 advantage after the opening 12 minutes. That's the most points the Heat have allowed in any quarter this season.
2. Another reason for the visitors overcoming committing four first-quarter turnovers was their ability to push the pace consistently, creating favorable setups offensively.
That and effective ball movement, assisting on 10/15 makes, fueled the Celtics' shooting a scorching hot 71.4 percent from the field, including 6/11 (54.5 percent) from three-point range and an 8-0 advantage in fast-break scoring.
3. Miami got a considerable energy infusion from its bench in the second quarter. Thomas Bryant matched Jaylen Brown with seven points, the most in the period, and he and Josh Richard both manufactured second-chance baskets at the rim.
The hosts' second unit outscored Boston's 16-8 in the 12 minutes before halftime, helping them put 35 points on the board.
4. But with the visitors only committing one turnover in the second frame and staying in rhythm offensively, entering intermission shooting 11/22 from beyond the arc and 64.3 percent from the floor, they also generated 35 points in the period, heading into the break with a 77-64 lead.
Porzingis paced all participants with 17 points after the opening 24 minutes. Jaylen Brown generated 15, Jayson Tatum scored 14, and Derrick White chipped in 12.
Tyler Herro led the Heat with ten points, while Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo registered nine.
5. In a concerning moment, Porzingis badly rolled his left ankle after coming down on Adebayo's foot after contesting a baseline attempt by the latter. He limped off the floor, got helped down the tunnel by the Celtics' training staff, and quickly got ruled doubtful to return due to an ankle sprain.
It's an injury Boston will have to be extremely cautious with, provided it doesn't prove to be more serious.
6. While the visitors felt the sting of losing the Latvian native, they impressively maintained their focus, delivering one of their best third quarters of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Celtics outscored Miami 36-26, producing 16 points in the paint, only yielding six, and remaining red hot, shooting 68.4 percent from the field, including 5/9 (55.6 percent) from three-point range.
Tatum paced all participants with 12 points in the period. Boston also got Jrue Holiday going. The two-time All-Star, a crucial figure in his team continuing to push the pace, got more involved as a scorer, putting 11 on the board to help the visitors take a 113-90 advantage into the last 12 minutes.
7. The Celtics didn't take their foot off the gas in the final frame, either, including Payton Pritchard stepping up to help put the Heat in a further hole.
The former Oregon Duck wisely opted against a swing pass unlikely to reach its intended target and then swished a three. He followed that up by lofting a lob to Luke Kornet for an alley-oop that put the visitors ahead 123-92 with 8:19 remaining.
Shortly after that, Joe Mazzulla took a timeout to empty his bench, as the top six, including Porzingis, who returned to the bench and appeared in good spirits, including pretending to box with Jaylen Brown during a timeout, enjoyed the rest of an impressive win in South Beach.
8. The Celtics are on to a Saturday night showdown against the Los Angeles Clippers. That game will tip off at 7:00 EST at TD Garden.
Further Reading
Celtics Finding Joy in Basketball and Each Other's Company: 'We've Been Blessed'
Fixated on Winning, Jayson Tatum Again Proves He's Not 'Bored Making the Right Play Over and Over'
Jrue Holiday Responds to Celtics Saying He's Sacrificing Most: 'Not Mad at My Situation'
Brad Stevens Shares What Celtics Are Looking to Add and How He Hopes to Do So
Jaylen Brown Quieting Doubters, Validating What He Always Believed: 'Earn Everybody's Trust'
Joe Mazzulla Discusses Identity, Evolution of Celtics' Offense: 'Balance of Pace and Execution'
Jaylen Brown Shares His View of What Defines 'Celtics Basketball'
