Boston. Thanks to an unstoppable Jayson Tatum, the Boston Celtics overwhelmed the Miami Heat 102-82 on Monday to tie the NBA Eastern Conference final at two wins apiece.
Tatum, 24 years old and three times “All-Star”, overflowed with 31 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists, supported by the Dominican Al Horford, who stood out under the boards with 13 rebounds.
In the Heat, the only one who made the cut was veteran substitute Victor Oladipo with 23 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Game five of this best-of-seven series will be played on Wednesday in Miami.
The winner of this cap will face the winner of the Western Conference in the NBA Finals, a series that the Golden State Warriors beat the Dallas Mavericks 3-0.
Boston came out aggressive with a first quarter for history as they won it 29-11. The Celtics finally went into the intermission with a wide difference of 24 points (57-33).
That lead grew to 30 points early in the third quarter, when the Celtics capped a 10-4 (67-37) run that ended on Tatum’s long shot.
The Celtics controlled the defense in the paint early on, holding star Jimmy Butler and point guard Kyle Lowry to just six and three points, respectively.
Boston, which knocked out the Nets and the champion Bucks , also largely dominated the standings, outscoring Miami 60-39.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2024/05/08/3963911-80472928-2560-1440.jpg?fit=300%2C300&ssl=1)