Payton Pritchard Buzzer-Beater Gives Celtics Late Win vs. Jimmy Butler, Heat
In a rematch of the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, the Boston Celtics avenged their postseason defeat with a 107-105 victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday in Florida.
The Celtics held an early lead, but the Heat crawled back with a 35-point third quarter just in time for a back-and-forth final frame that threatened overtime.
In the final minutes, Boston went on a 13-0 run to seemingly seal the win before Miami's Duncan Robinson added seven points in 30 seconds to make it a three-point game. With 0.2 seconds remaining, Payton Pritchard sunk the winner to give Boston a 107-105 victory.
Jayson Tatum posted 27 points and went 5-of-8 from three to carry Boston to the win and improve its record to 6-3.
For the 3-4 Heat, who entered the game coming off a 118-90 defeat of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Butler had 26 points and eight assists and hit eight of his nine free-throw attempts.
Notable Performers
- Jayson Tatum, F, Celtics: 27 PTS (10-21 FG, 5-8 3PT, 2-2 FT), 5 REB, 4 AST
- Jaylen Brown, G, Celtics: 21 PTS (8-23 FG, 3-9 3PT, 2-2 FT), 12 REB, 5 AST
- Jimmy Butler, F, Heat: 26 PTS (9-19 FG, 0-3 3PT, 8-9 FT), 8 REB, 3 AST, 3 BLK
- Bam Adebayo, C, Heat: 15 PTS (5-10 FG, 5-6 FT), 10 AST, 8 REB
Heat Can't Stop Boston's Stars
Unlike the Heat, who can look to the seven different players scoring in double digits to produce on any given night, the Celtics need two people to be on if they want to carve out a victory.
The duo of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum has paced the Celtics with an average of more than 26 points each through the Celtics' first eight games. But behind them, the team's offense dwindles. Marcus Smart is the only other player averaging more than 10 points per game (12.6).
Boston elected to use a two-center lineup against Miami, starting both Tristan Thompson and Daniel Theis, a situation that hasn't exactly proved fruitful. The Celtics tend to struggle when both bigs are on the floor.
In the first half, both stars stuck together in taking the Celtics to a 53-45 lead. Tatum added 12 points, four rebounds and two assists, while Brown was the squad's top playmaker with 11 points, four assists and seven rebounds.
The Celtics were stifled by the Heat in the third quarter as they posted 35 points, and Brown added just two more points to his total. Tatum, who was all but alone out there, was limited to seven points in the third quarter.
Butler Leads Miami to Late Charge
The Heat have one of the most balanced offenses in the game with seven different players averaging double-digit scoring through the team's first six games. They're paced by big man Bam Adebayo, who has collected 19.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per contest to lead the team in both categories, but other candidates to lead the show include Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic, Avery Bradley, Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler and Kelly Olynyk.
On Wednesday, Butler answered the call.
He added 14 points in the first half to help the Heat encroach upon the Celtics' 34-26 first-quarter lead and head to the break at 53-45. Adebayo was the team's second-leading scorer at the break with seven points.
The lack of the usual offensive blast wasn't due to a lack of effort. The Heat just couldn't land their shots, hitting 35.1 percent from the field compared to Boston's 42.6 percent shooting as four different Celtics recorded steals in the first half.
The third quarter saw the Heat continue their late-first-half charge, going on a 30-12 run as Butler continued to quietly add to his point total while Kelly Olynyk worked toward knocking down three of his six three-point attempts. By the end of the penultimate frame, Miami had improved its shooting percentage to 45.9 percent.
What's Next?
The Heat will start a journey up the East Coast, facing Russell Westbrook and the 2-6 Washington Wizards in the capital on Saturday before continuing to Boston for a rematch with the Celtics on Sunday.
Before Sunday's game, the Celtics will host Washington on Friday.
