The Celtics rallied from a 19-point deficit on Thursday night thanks to a historic night from Anfernee Simons and grinded their way to a 119-114 win over the Heat in Miami.
The Heat opened the game up with a 28-9 outburst and maintained that double-digit lead for much of the first three quarters behind some balanced scoring and hot 3-point shooting.
However, Boston’s bench kept the visitors in the game all night, though led by a sensational performance by Anfernee Simons, his best in a Celtics uniform. The reserve guard erupted for a season-high 39 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter to help erase a double-digit deficit in the final frame and snap Boston’s two-game losing streak. The scoring output set a new Celtics franchise record for most points by a reserve in a game.
Jaylen Brown added 21 of his 27 points in the second half as Boston closed out the game with a 21-9 run to improve to 1-1 on their road trip and back into a tie with the Knicks for the No. 2 seed in the East.
Norm Powell had a team-high 24 points for the Heat, who dropped to 0-2 on the season against Boston.
The Celtics will look to build on the momentum on Saturday night when they face off against former teammate Kristaps Porzingis in Atlanta.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Thursday night;
**Celtics starters come out flat**: Despite having two days off after Monday’s tough loss to the Pacers, the Celtics came out with minimal defensive energy on Thursday night. The Heat jumped out to a 28-9 run in the first seven minutes of the game, punishing Boston’s regulars in transition and on the perimeter. The lack of energy was apparent throughout the course of the night as the team lacked the ability to keep Heat players out of the paint on defense, leading to plenty of open looks at the rim and at the 3-point line. However, a combination of the bench (Simons, Luka Garza) and the starters helped Boston rally their way back in the game late and put the clamps on Miami’s offense.
**Anfernee Simons keeps the offense afloat amid historic night**: With Boston’s starting backcourt combining for just eight points in the first three quarters, it was Boston’s sixth man that kept this game from turning into the rout. The veteran guard scored 11 points in the first quarter to help trim Miami’s early 19-point lead and was red-hot from 3-point range on the night, scoring 21 points in the first three quarters as Boston’s usual scoring weapons failed to find a rhythm. He proceeded to take over in the first half of the fourth quarter, scoring 11 of Boston’s first 15 points in the frame to key Boston’s comeback on his way to a season-high 39 points.
**Jaylen Brown bounces back after second quarter benching**: Coming off a back injury that sidelined him for Monday’s game, the Celtics star had some uncharacteristic struggles against the Heat on Thursday. He piled up four turnovers in the first half alone and that led to playing just 13 first half minutes, his second-lowest total of the season. He sat for the final 7:43 of the second quarter. He bounced back with 15 points in the third quarter after the long rest and ended up with 21 of his 27 points after intermission, serving as an integral part of Boston’s comeback alongside Simons.
**Celtics show impressive resilience on the road:** The Celtics have played remarkably consistent basketball all year long since starting the season with an 0-3 record. They hit their first turmoil since November prior to Thursday night with losses in three of their last four games. With Derrick White and Payton Pritchard (2-of-11) struggling offensively, their struggles looked ready to continue. However, some big efforts off the bench helped Boston push their way to the win. The Celtics have been resilient all year long against big deficits and this was a promising effort by a team that keeps making the case to be kept together (or improved) leading into the trade deadline.