Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
The Roots of the Heat's Fourth-Quarter Rally Stand Out Above All as Celtics Suffer Second-Straight Loss
Tuesday's 98-95 loss in South Beach highlighted the growing pains of a rookie head coach taking over a team with championship aspirations.
Joe Mazzulla has done an excellent job this season. But there are two areas he struggles with most: managing minutes and having a feel for when to call a timeout, as opposed to challenging the Celtics to play through runs by the opposition most of the time.
Mazzulla might disagree, but in the fourth quarter of Boston's loss to the Heat, the visitors got burned by both.
Jayson Tatum played just under 32 of the game's first 36 minutes. On the second night of a back-to-back, it was evident fatigue set in as he went from generating 21 points in the first half to ten in the second, scoring only three in the final frame.
And while Erik Spoelstra took a timeout at the sign of a potential Boston burst in the fourth quarter, Mazzulla waited too long to do the same during the game's most pivotal stretch.
There's value in the first-year head coach forcing his team to deal with adversity and figure out problems on the fly, especially on the road, as the Celtics condition themselves for a championship run. But on Tuesday, the more productive move was the one made by Spoelstra.
Now, a deep dive into the Heat's 98-95 win over Boston, the Celtics' second-straight loss and first defeat on the second night of a back-to-back.
First Frame Features the Jayson Tatum-Max Strus Duel Everyone Anticipated
On the heels of having their nine-game win streak snapped, the Celtics came out with considerable energy, building a 7-2 early advantage after Payton Pritchard, starting with Boston shorthanded, disrupted a Tyler Herro shot, leading to a Jayson Tatum backdoor layup.
A few minutes later, Derrick White appeared to hurt his foot when he came down awkwardly after a layup. Pritchard cleaned up the miss, and the latter stayed in the game.
Naturally, the ball found White on the visitors' next possession, and he drove past a closeout, swishing a floater that gave the Celtics a 13-10 lead.
A pair of corner threes by Grant Williams from opposite sides of the floor, including one on a broken play where Blake Griffin fell as the ball arrived, extended Boston's advantage to 22-18.
Justin Jackson, getting an opportunity with a lengthy list of inactives, checked in at the 3:21 mark. He did well defensively, going over the top of a screen to run Victor Oladipo off the three-point line with Robert Williams in drop coverage. He then contested Oladipo's shot, factoring into the miss.
That stop led to a Tatum transition three from above the break, giving the Celtics the lead, 29-27, with 59 seconds left in the period.
But with the Heat scoring four of the frame's final five points, Miami took a 32-30 advantage into the second quarter.
Max Strus generated 13 points on 4/6 shooting, knocking down all three threes he hoisted.
Tatum matched him for the most points in the frame. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back, he was out there for 11:42 of the first 12 minutes.
Tatum Takes Over in the Second Frame
The biggest difference in the second quarter was that one team had Jayson Tatum, and the other didn't. Simply put, he was dominant.
He showed off his abilities as a facilitator, dishing out three assists, including slinging a skip pass off the dribble to Jackson for a left-corner three, pulling Boston within one, 44-43.
And when the Heat sent two defenders at him as the final seconds ticked off the clock, he found Luke Kornet for a dunk that gave the visitors a 58-50 advantage at halftime.
Tatum also scored eight points in the second frame. He followed up a Pritchard three by burying one from 30 feet. He then fired up himself, Boston's bench, and the Celtics fans in attendance on an old-school three-point play where he spun on Caleb Martin, helicoptered the ball over him, then muscled his way into a floater through contact.
That sequence sent Boston into the break on an 11-0 run.
Tatum scored or assisted on 30 of the Celtics' 58 points. The soon-to-be four-time All-Star registered 21 in the first half on 7/12 shooting, including going 2/5 from beyond the arc and 5/6 at the foul line. He also dished out four assists, leading all participants in both categories.
Tatum, who played 19:57 of the first 24 minutes, also tied several others for the most rebounds, securing five.
Bam Adebayo Steals the Show in a Low-Scoring Third Quarter
Thirty seconds into the second half, Grant Williams found a cutting Robert Williams for a dunk. Kyle Lowry had no chance at getting to the ball and went for the former's arm. His swipe inadvertently got the Timelord in the eye, and while the officials reviewed the play for a potential flagrant-1, it stood as a common foul.
Less than a minute and a half later, Miami, or more accurately, Bam Adebayo, staged a 10-3 run. He produced 12 of the hosts 25 points in the period, leading all participants in the third quarter.
Adebayo showed off a bit of everything in his arsenal, demonstrating a deft touch on a floater he launched from 13 feet, knocking down a pull-up jumper from a couple of steps behind that. He also capitalized on a driving hook and earned four points at the rim.
Tatum, who picked up two offensive fouls in the third quarter, earned his fourth personal with 4:57 left, but he stayed in the game. Fortunately for Boston, he avoided entering the final frame with five fouls.
While the Celtics were outscored 25-24 in a low-scoring period, Derrick White had himself a productive quarter.
He consistently attacked the basket, producing a floater, earning multiple trips to the free-throw line, and spinning into the lane, setting up an alley-oop to the Timelord.
White registered a team-best ten points in the period.
In a concerning moment in the frame's final minute, Tatum charged downhill, creating contact and earning a trip to the free-throw line. But before heading there, Tatum massaged his knee and appeared in discomfort. Shortly after that, he checked out, for the first time in the second half, with three seconds left in the quarter.
Playing Tatum just under 32 minutes before reaching the fourth is a decision that might come back to bite Joe Mazzulla and the Celtics, especially with this being the second night of a back-to-back.
The Heat at Their Best on Both Ends in the Fourth Quarter
With Tatum resting and Miami creeping closer, Pritchard drilled a big three off the dribble, pushing the lead up to 85-77 with 9:54 to go.
The next basket belonged to Robert Williams, scraping the rafters before throwing down a thunderous alley-oop.
But an Erik Spoelstra timeout stopped Boston from building on that momentum. What happened out of the break was the game's most important stretch.
Haywood Highsmith drilled consecutive threes, bringing the hosts within four, 87-83, with 7:25 remaining. The Heat nearly pulled closer immediately after that. However, Tyler Herro passed up a potential transition layup off an outlet pass from Adebayo, resulting in a Gabe Vincent miss from beyond the arc.
But the Heat kept coming, as Adebayo produced back-to-back buckets, including a dunk that tied the game at 87-87 with 5:45 to play.
He then gathered a feed from Herro and buried a pull-up jumper from 13 feet, giving Miami its first lead since the score read 50-47 in the second quarter. At that point, the hosts were on a 12-0 run with the visitors wearing down.
Herro capped the Heat's run by drilling a three from the left wing, putting Miami ahead 92-87 with 3:42 left.
The Heat's run wasn't strictly a product of their offensive output or Boston's fatigue; the Celtics had trouble dealing with a zone defense that's given the visitors their share of problems against Miami.
In a familiar theme, struggling to score negatively impacted Boston defensively.
The Celtics swung back by generating an old-school three-point play from Tatum and getting a tip-in from Robert Williams.
But with the hosts in rhythm and playing more confidently than any other quarter, Herro, cold for most of the night, delivered a clutch basket as the final minute arrived.
Herro rejected a screen, slithered his way into the paint, holding Robert Williams' attention, then elevated for a floater with the Timelord's feet on the hardwood. That gave the Heat a 95-92 advantage with 57 seconds on the game clock.
Again, Boston countered, as White found Grant Williams for a three from his corner office, tying the game with 42 seconds left.
But at the other end, after multiple screens, Adebayo wound up with Pritchard on him in the pinch post. Even with Grant Williams coming over to contest his shot, Adebayo buried a jumper just below the foul line, giving Miami a 97-95 lead with 20 seconds to go.
The Celtics should have called a timeout, especially since the lack of intention of pushing off the Miami make was evident. Instead, they walked the ball up, lacked urgency, and when the Heat double teamed Tatum, he tried sending a skip pass to Grant Williams in the left corner, but didn't get enough on it, and Herro picked him off.
Highsmith only went 1/2 at the free-throw line, giving Boston a chance, and Pritchard's three from above the break was on line but didn't have enough on it, as the Heat handed the Celtics a 98-95 loss.
The defeat is Boston's second straight, and it's the first time this season the Celtics have lost on the second night of a back-to-back.
Tatum, who finished with a game-high 31 points, scored six of his ten second-half points at the free-throw line and did not attempt a three in the second half.
He also led Boston in rebounds, grabbing 14, and assists, dishing out seven.
Adebayo, who scored 21 points and snagged 12 rebounds in the second half, generated 30 of the former and 15 of the latter, pacing Miami in points and leading all participants in rebounds.
And while the Celtics got a terrific performance from Derrick White, who registered 23 points, six assists, a block and a steal, the Heat got 15 points from Highsmith and 12 from Oladipo, as the shorthanded visitors' second unit got outscored 39-10 by Miami's bench.
Committing 17 turnovers, translating to 17 points for the Heat, didn't help Boston's cause either. Conversely, Miami only had eight giveaways, limiting the visitors to eight points off those opportunities.
The Heat also parlayed 14 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points, double the amount the Celtics had.
Up Next
The Celtics return home to host the Knicks on Thursday. The game tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
For the Celtics, a Quiet Trade Deadline May Prove Best
The Top 5 Plays from Monday's Celtics-Magic Game
Celtics Reportedly Looking for Players in Very Specific Range Ahead of NBA Trade Deadline
Western Conference Rival Reportedly has Shown Trade Interest In Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard
