The Celtics and Heat were back where they were late in Game 1 in the third and final quarter.
With just three points scored, Caleb Martin got into an altercation with Celtics players, and the undermanned Heat team shot just 32.1% from three in 28 attempts as Boston edged closer to a 30-point lead. As they went to their subs, Boston’s offensive rebounding, fast break, and 62% shooting from beyond the arc destroyed them.
Al Horford earlier deceived all of the Heat’s defenders with a full court pass to Derrick White, going from baseline to baseline. During a low-effort loss where the Celtics exploited them in every hustling category, White fed Brown at the hoop for an uncontested two points.
Boston played with a sense of urgency. Miami lost 104-84 at home and appeared frantic in the end. In the series, the Celtics are up 2-1.
On offense, the first quarter looked disturbingly similar to Game 3 as Brown started the game 0-for-4, pulling the ball against Tyler Herro on most possessions and finding it difficult to take advantage of him.
After the Heat destroyed Boston’s defense three nights prior, Miami’s offense was limited to a 12-point first quarter, 5-for-21 shooting, and a 1-for-9 efficiency from three-point range.
Eventually, a faster tempo allowed him to go 3-for-9. With their offense stagnating and Kristaps Porziņģis out for two minutes due to early fouls, the Celtics took full control of the game early on in their own end.
The game was blown wide by a 42-27 second quarter as a result. Boston used more pass-pass possessions and caused nine turnovers in the first half, which allowed them to move the ball quickly. After back-to-back three-pointers by Tatum and Sam Hauser to start the quarter, Erik Spoelstra had to call a timeout after one minute.
Four players were up in a press when Boston returned to the floor, and Hauser almost took Haywood Highsmith’s subsequent in-bounds pass. Midway through the quarter, Jrue Holiday extended his lead to 13 points.
He finished the half +26 without making a shot. Jrue Holiday tapped passes to Derrick White and Brown for the first five points of a 7-0 run in the half court and on the fast break, respectively. After that, White made the first of two put-backs, which helped him surge to 12 points in a three-minute period towards the end of the game.
Boston had a 21-point advantage at the half, grabbed eight offensive rebounds, shot 38.1% from three, and prevailed 3-9. After a shaky start, Brown finished 5-for-7, and Porzingis and Payton Pritchard added three more put-backs to finish with a combined 19 points following their poor shooting performances in Game 2.
The Heat countered by outscoring Boston 14–9 early in the third quarter, as their offense collapsed once more. Halfway through the first, a 10-2 run that reduced Boston’s advantage to 19 points was completed by Brown, who scored six of those points as the other Celtics started the game 1-for-5.
Tatum attempted the final shot of that run and missed it, missing a three that let Adebayo streak in transition for an easy slam. White was involved in every play as the Celtics responded 8–4 after the timeout, feeding Brown and Horford inside and making a layup and jump shot of his own.
After threes from Horford and Holiday after the timeout, the Heat trailed by 26, and Herro threw the ball off Hauser, who was given a technical foul.
As the quarter came to a close, Pritchard spoke with Herro and Martin. Miami looked to Thomas Bryant and Patty Mills deep off their bench to find any offensive production.
Due to personal reasons, Delon Wright was unable to participate, which further reduced the starting lineup of the Heat by removing Jimmy Butler, Terry Rozier, and Duncan Robinson—the latter of whom was hardly able to play at all.
Throughout the fourth quarter, they trailed by 20 points. Tatum and Brown kept the Heat under pressure inside the arc, scoring 22 points apiece, while Porzingis scored 18 points from the free throw line.
Miami will host Game 4 on Monday at 7:30 p.m.
