The Boston Celtics are one win away from the NBA Finals.
After a slow first half of Wednesday night’s Game 5 against the Miami Heat, the Celtics pulled away in the third quarter and racked it up in the fourth for the 93-80 win. They held Miami to 31.9% shooting (30-for-94) from the field and 15.6% (7-for-45) from 3-point range.
Boston exploded with 66 points in the second half after adding 42 in the first two quarters. Jaylen Brown (25 points) and Jayson Tatum (22 points) overcame their first-half struggles to help the Celtics post another lopsided victory. Al Horford was also a key contributor with 16 points and seven rebounds.
Bam Adebayo led the Heat’s disappointing offense with 18 points. Jimmy Butler’s struggles continued as he scored just 13 points on 4-of-18 shooting.
The Celtics will have the opportunity to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals in front of the TD Garden crowd on Friday night. Here are our takeaways from his victory in Game 5.
A tale of two halves
The Celtics were a mess to start this game. Its stars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, combined to shoot 3-for-16 (19%) from the floor in the first half, their worst combined field goal percentage in any half this season. Brown turned the ball over four times in the first quarter alone, and the team had 10 first-half turnovers.
Fortunately for them, the Heat weren’t much better. They scored 28 of their 42 points in the first half on Celtics turnovers or second chances. When they weren’t taking advantage of the Celtics’ mistakes, their offense was virtually non-existent. Those struggles continued into the second half and Boston took advantage.
Tatum finished with 22 points (18 in the second half) after going scoreless in the first quarter. The 2021-22 All-NBA First Team selection also had 12 rebounds and barely missed a triple-double with nine assists. His shoulder problem seemed to be bothering him throughout Wednesday night’s game, but the fact that he brushed it off for a strong second-half performance is encouraging.
Brown scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half and didn’t turn the ball over in the last two quarters. He helped the Celtics pull away by shooting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, with this emphatic shot over Bam Adebayo as the finishing touch.
After that lousy first half, Tatum and Brown combined for 33 points on 13-of-18 shooting the rest of the way.
Al Horford, Derrick White intensify their contribution
When Tatum and Brown couldn’t find their groove, the supporting cast had to carry the load to keep her close. Veteran center Al Horford and backup point guard Derrick White did just that.
The legend of “Playoff Al” continued when Horford was the leading scorer before Tatum and Brown heated up. The 35-year-old finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two blocks. According to StatMuse, he now has the highest +/- (+130) in the 2022 NBA playoffs.
White also provided a spark when Boston needed it most. Marcus Smart, returning from a sprained right ankle, found himself in trouble early and gave White a chance to shine. He ended up leading all scorers with 11 points at the half, then finished with 14 points (6-8 FG) and five assists.
Smart, meanwhile, didn’t look 100%. He had five points (1-5 FG) and four assists in 24 minutes. It will be worth monitoring his status for Game 6 in Boston.
Heat have no answer for Robert Williams
The presence of Robert Williams is key to Boston’s championship aspirations, and we were reminded why once again in Game 5. The Celtics’ big man continues to deal with a sore left knee, but still took advantage of the maximum his 27 minutes on the court.
Williams had six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks while shutting down Heat big man Bam Adebayo. Miami went 0-for-10 from the field when Williams was contesting his shot attempts.
Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said earlier in the series that Williams will be day-to-day for the rest of the postseason while dealing with knee pain. Boston will hope to have him in the lineup when they try to finish off the Heat on Friday night.
