Kasparas Jakučionis gives the Heat a spark, but the Heat falter against the Celtics

The Maimi Heat were unable to string together wins and are back in the loss collum as they fall to the Boston Celtics 116-129. The Heat need to quickly find ways to get more wins as they are now 3-7 in their last 10 contests and 5-9 on the road this year. This loss drops the Heat to a record of 15-13 and down to the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference.

Kasparas Jakučionis – Grade: B+

Kasparas Jakučionis cracked the starting lineup for the first time in his career in just his 3rd game of the season. He had several great moments and flashed the potential that the Heat love. This performance should be exciting for the coaching staff because there was a lot that went well and stuff that could still improve. First thing that jumps out is his 3 point shooting. He finished the game 5/8 from three and was 2nd on the team in makes. Miami desperately needs shooting and Jakučionis showed he has the potential to help. Another thing that jumps out is his 4 assists to only 1 turnover. Jakučionis has a reputation as being a good passer that can rack up assists, but he can sometimes attempt ill-advised passes. This was at a minimum against the Celtics, and I felt he did an excellent job of taking care of the ball. Heat fans should be excited about the future of this rookie. His final stat line was 17 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

Kasparas Jakucionis CAREER-HIGH 17 Points, 6 Rebs, 4 Assists full highlight vs Celtics I 25-26 NBA Season pic.twitter.com/FPYVHnutBq
— Hoops Showtime (@HoopsShowtime12) December 20, 2025

Kel’el Ware – Grade: A

Kel’el Ware is doing what Heat head coach Erik Speolstra always preaches, that is stacking good games. On the 2nd night of a back to back Ware looked fresh and played an excellent game. He was the Heat’s best performer against the Celtics. Similarly to Jakučionis, Ware flashed his shooting potential knocking down 6/7 attempts from beyond the arc. Ware helped the Heat win the rebounding battle pulling down 14 rebounds and 5 crucial offensive rebounds. It felt as if when the Heat needed a bucket, Ware stepped up to deliver. Miami needs Ware to continue at this level of play, and if he does, I find it hard not to continue to start him. Ware finished with a team high of 24 points to go with his 14 rebounds.

Kel'el Ware vs Celtics:

24 PTS - 14 REB - 1 BLK - 6/7 3PM - 67 FG%

Ware been dominating recently 🔥 pic.twitter.com/vQFENjmoNA
— Heat Clips 🎬 (@MiamiClip) December 20, 2025

Bam Adebayo – Grade: C-

Bam Adebayo had an interesting game to put it lightly. He has been in a slump recently and by looking at his box score one might think this was a step in the right direction. After all he had a respectable 16 points on 6/13 shooting, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. The issue is he had several moments where his defense was not up to his standards, this was most notable when he let several Celtics players blow past him for scorers (see play below). He also missed easy looks that not only could help his performance but really change momentum for the Heat. Adebayo also turned the ball over 3 times, which is far too many in a game that Miami is struggling to score. The Heat needs the best version of Adebayo nightly, and he did not deliver against the Celtics.

Jordan Walsh vs perennial DPOY candidate Bam Adebayo pic.twitter.com/WngjGIWsft
— Taylor Snow (@taylorcsnow) December 20, 2025