Heat fall to Celtics as Kasparas Jakucionis makes starting debut

On the second night of a back to back, it was a skeleton crew for the Miami Heat with ten available players, while two of those ten being on two-way contracts.

Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell, Andrew Wiggins, Pelle Larsson, and Nikola Jovic were all ruled out tonight against the Boston Celtics.

That left Miami with a starting lineup of Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr, Bam Adebayo, Kel'el Ware, and Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis.

Some positives to take away from some of the Heat's young guys, but ultimately the offense falls apart in the second half before Boston runs away with the game.

But let's get right into some takeaways from this Heat-Celtics match-up:

1. Kel'el Ware back in his double-double flow.

Dec 19, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) defends against Miami Heat center Kel'El Ware (7) in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

After a bunch of the general stats regarding Kel'el Ware pointing toward his aggression leading to a better Miami Heat offense, he came out the gate firing yet again in Boston. Two first quarter triples as he let it fly with real confidence, before ending up with 12 points and 8 boards by halftime. He has been a monster on the offensive glass, often playing off his own misses for putbacks around the basket. He was an obvious starter with all of the guys missing, but this continues to trend more and more into a constant thing as he's forcing Erik Spoelstra to play him for long stretches.

2. Do the Heat need to adapt their undermanned mentality?

Dec 19, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) and guard Dru Smith (12) react after a play against the Boston Celtics in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Over the years whenever an Erik Spoelstra led Heat team finds themselves undermanned, there's always a thought in the back of your mind that squad has a chance. Less is more when it comes to Miami Heat rotations, as it often simplifies the game-plan on both ends of the floor for the staff. The biggest thing whenever it's a skeleton crew is leaning on the three point line, as shooting a bunch of perimeter jumpers is the only way to counter a team with more talent or bodies. The Heat shot 10 of 25 from deep in the first half tonight, and it's actually an offensive mentality that needs to remain. When fully healthy, if they can find ways to generate similar threes, they will be in a much better spot.

3. Kasparas Jakucionis flashes in true debut.

Dec 19, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Kasparas Jakucionis (25) reacts after a play againstteh Boston Celtics in the first quarter at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

I'm not one for moral victories, but sometimes you can gain clarity from a loss like this. Heat rookie Kasparas Jakucionis got the start tonight with guys out, and he did not disappoint. He's being utilized in the offense as he does in Sioux Falls, which is mostly off the ball working off secondary actions and corner spot-ups. He worked his way to four threes on the night, while providing some pretty solid defense for a majority of the night. The big takeaway for me watching him play is that he looks extremely comfortable. This did not look like a guy getting his first real run in the NBA, and that is an impressive quality to have. Would like to see more opportunities for him moving forward.