Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward Shine as Celtics Beat Dwyane Wade, Heat 112-102
Gordon Hayward scored a team-high 25 points and Kyrie Irving added 23 more as the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 112-102 on Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.
Al Horford added 21 points and eight rebounds for the 47-32 Celtics, who remain tied for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the Indiana Pacers.
Dion Waiters scored 21 points for the 38-40 Heat, who fell outside the Eastern Conference playoff picture with the loss. Miami is now one half-game behind the Brooklyn Nets and Orlando Magic, who hold the East's final two spots.
Hassan Whiteside posted 18 points and 15 rebounds. Dwyane Wade scored 17.
Gordon Hayward's Scoring Surge Is Bad News for Pacers, East
The Celtics entered Wednesday's game with Miami facing some disadvantages. Not only were Marcus Morris and Jaylen Brown out with injuries, but they were visiting a desperate Heat team fighting for its playoff life.
They needed someone to step up, and Hayward answered the call as he has for the past six games. He went 5-of-10 from the field, nailed 12 of 13 free throws, and added eight rebounds and five assists.
Hayward also sported a plus-16 mark for the game, tied for best on the team with Jayson Tatum. His zero turnovers tie the bow on an excellent night.
Not only is that bad news for the Pacers, who are fighting the C's for fourth in the East and will almost assuredly be their first-round opponent, but it's a problem for the rest of the conference.
The Celtics have the luxury of having a 2017 NBA All-Star come off their bench, which isn't something that any other team in the top eight of the East or West playoff pictures can claim.
Hayward hasn't played like one this season, which is understandable given that he missed nearly all of last season with a broken leg and has been working his way back to form this year.
But he has looked like one lately.
The Celtics forward has averaged 15.7 points per game on 52.5 percent shooting in his past six games, a marked improvement from his 11.1 points on 45.5 percent shooting this season. He's scored in double digits for six straight games, having not done so for more than four during the rest of the year.
Hayward's recent success was not lost on multiple analysts.
Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated shouted out Hayward's recent efficiency spike:
That's a marked improvement over his Dec. 2018 and continues a positive trend, per Jay King of The Athletic:
In addition, Hayward is staying aggressive and finding his way to the free-throw line. Tom Westerholm of MassLive pointed out how well the 29-year-old is getting to the charity stripe:
Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports, RealGM and Celtics Blog pointed out the same:
That aggression also translates to his work in transition, with Celtics Blog pointing out two specific examples:
All of this good will seemed to come together in Wednesday's final stretch.
With the Celtics up just 100-96 with 3:56 remaining, Hayward stroked a three from the wing to give Boston a seven-point edge. He then grabbed a defensive rebound on the other end and found center Al Horford for two to give Boston a nine-point lead.
Waiters hit a three to cut the deficit to seven after an Irving free throw, but Hayward immediately responded with a 13-footer.
Waiters then made another three, but Hayward once again caused problems by taking advantage of a mismatch against Heat big man Kelly Olynyk. He drove to the lane and missed the shot, but he got fouled and hit both free throws, effectively sealing the game.
He saved his best for the fourth quarter, as noted by Brian Robb of the Boston Sports Journal:
In sum, this is the player the Celtics envisioning getting when they signed Hayward as a free agent in 2017, and that could have a seismic impact on this year's playoffs.
King noted Hayward's potential postseason performance in particular postgame:
Ultimately, Hayward could be the X-factor that determines the Eastern Conference champion.
What's Next?
Both teams hit the road Friday. The Heat will visit the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Celtics will face the Pacers.
Boston, who owns the season series 2-1, will take a one-game lead over Indiana and earn the head-to-head tiebreaker with a victory. A loss puts them one game behind the Pacers with two matchups remaining.
