It will have been necessary to work hard, and that’s an understatement, so that the Celtics won their fifth consecutive victory, the third of the season against the Heat. Particularly because they had to erase a deficit of -22, certainly created by their clumsiness at 3-points (1 out of 20 before the break), but ultimately made up thanks to… their skill at 3-points (9 out of 16 after the break).
The shift therefore took place in the third quarter, which Boston won 36-15, with a hot shot signed Payton Pritchard out of the bench. Helped by Derrick White and the rookie Nikola Vucevicthe C’s wisp initiated a 25-5 run with his offensive success and he completely stunned Miami in the space of five minutes.
Before that, the Heat had made a great start at TD Garden, relying on the contribution of Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins or Bam Adebayoagainst the Celtics unable to score baskets. In addition to being punished by the fast play of this Florida attack which loves to run and play when the defense is not in place.
The suspense was therefore essential in the fourth quarter, the two teams constantly responding to each other in turns, with rarely more than one possession apart. We then had to wait for Derrick White’s “3-point + counter” sequence for the decision to be made, in the last minute.
Davion Mitchell then had a match point, but his attempt ended in failure and teammates Jaylen Brown could exult, after having extricated themselves from a very nasty trap.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Boston returns to 2nd place. For the first time since 2021, the Celtics win having been at least 20 points (!) behind at halftime and this success, combined with the defeat of the Knicks, gives them back 2nd place in the East. This “comeback”, the biggest of their season, was made possible by a huge third quarter, which made us forget – or almost – the first period missed by Joe Mazzulla’s men. Weaned from 3-pointers, late to defend transitions and dominated on offensive rebounds, they corrected everything in one trip to the locker room and their face no longer had anything to do with that of the first 24 minutes.
– The premiere of Nikola Vucevic. Ready to come off the bench at this stage of his career, Nikola Vucevic was rightly used as a replacement by Joe Mazzulla. Associated with Payton Pritchard, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year who has found form since leaving the five three matches ago, “Vooch” signed a first “double-double” and above all highlighted his qualities in passing, rebounding and setting a screen, as well as his good hands. His doublet with Neemias Queta is complementary and, clearly, his presence risks changing a lot of things in the C’s game. In the good sense of the word, of course.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
