Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat: Live Score, Highlights and Reaction
No Dwyane Wade, no Chris Bosh, no problem. With their stars sidelined, the Miami Heat entered Sunday night's matchup with the Boston Celtics facing an uphill battle. After Miami jumped out to an early, it was Boston who found themselves climbing a steep hill—one that they never overcame, eventually losing 100-84.
Luol Deng led the way for Miami, who never lost its grip on the lead it obtained in the first half. Deng had 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting and provided the star-power necessary to drive the Heat past a Celtics team that is having serious growing pains days after trading away the backbone of their roster.
James Ennis added 16 points, the majority of which came in the final period.
However, it was the point guard spot where Miami found itself with the biggest advantage. As Marcus Smart logged his first NBA start in wake of the recent Rajon Rondo trade, the Celtics struggled to attack Miami's defense and stay in front of their guards. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole combined for 26 points and 14 assists, while the Boston's guard core of Avery Bradley, Evan Turner, Jameer Nelson and Smart posted a combined for just 17 points and 16 assists.
In fact, it was Tyler Zeller who posted the best stat line for the guys in green. He finished with 22 points and eight boards, five of which came on the offensive end as he cleaned up the sloppy play of his teammates.
It was routine Miami dominance, even if it wasn't Miami's routinely-dominant roster on the floor. Still, just about any collection of five NBA players could have beaten Boston tonight, as the team struggled mightily on both ends of the floor in their second game without Rondo.
