Heat Stun Celtics to Extend Win Streak to Six Games
The Miami Heat notched their sixth straight win vs. the Boston Celtics,124-103 behind strong games from Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, who each had 20-point performances. Miami’s bench played a crucial role tonight, with Kyle Anderson leading the unit with 19 points, followed by Pelle Larsson with 16 points, Davion Mitchell with 13 points, and Haywood Highsmith with 10 points. Defensively, the Heat held Jayson Tatum in check, holding him to just 16 points on 4-of-17 shooting. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 24 points and nine rebounds, but it wasn't enough to shift the momentum in a game Miami controlled most of.
The first quarter saw a back-and-forth game until a late 12-5 Miami run, started by three-pointers from Highsmith and Anderson, along with strong defensive efforts from Mitchell. This run set the tone for a great performance from the Heat’s bench, giving them a seven-point lead at the end of the quarter. Miami extended the lead even more up to 15 in the middle of the second and was able to keep it that way. Still being sparked by the bench unit of Mitchell and Highsmith, they didn't let Boston get any type of run to end the half, going up 59-45 at the break.
Miami stayed hot in the third quarter, quickly building a 22-point lead within the first 10 minutes. However, as the Heat eased up, Boston capitalized, cutting the deficit to just three at 77-74 after a Baylor Scheierman three-pointer. Mitchell responded with a quick five points, while Anderson added four points, helping Miami push the lead back to 10 by the end of the third. Boston made one last push, closing the gap to five behind a strong effort from Brown. However, Miami’s stars put an end to it with Herro and Adebayo taking over down the stretch, sealing a commanding 21-point win as 10.5-point underdogs.
This was another big win for the Heat, giving them a firm one-game lead over Chicago for the ninth seed. With that comes home-court advantage in the first Play-In game. Miami’s defense has been stellar throughout their six-game winning streak, holding five of their last six opponents to 105 points or fewer, including three games under 100. With six games remaining, the Heat still have a shot at getting to the eighth seed, trailing Atlanta by just one and a half games. Next up, they face a struggling Memphis team on Thursday, a team that just fired its head coach and has dropped four straight games. It’s the perfect opportunity for Miami to stay hot and extend their streak to a conference-best seven games.
