While the Celtics had to climb out of an early deficit to the Heat, they stormed back in the fourth quarter. The C’s downed the Heat in a 119-114 victory Thursday in Miami, snapping their two-game losing streak.
It was the Anfernee Simons show, making him Thursday’s “Name to Know” Player of the Game. The Name to Know Player of the Game is sponsored by John’s Sewer and Drain Cleaning, the Name to Know when your drains don’t flow.
Simons scored a season-high 39 points off the bench, leading the C’s on a night when their starters weren’t at their best. He shot 13-for-28 from the field and 7-for-16 on 3-pointers. Simons added another four rebounds and four assists to his stat line. The scoring output was the most ever for a Celtic coming off the bench.
Simons had been playing some of the best basketball of his season in recent weeks, but he took his shot-making to another level Thursday. Considering the Celtics were down 19 points midway through the first quarter, they needed Simons to step up as it was an off-night for the starters elsewhere.
While Payton Pritchard and Derrick White have been dependable guards this season, they struggled Thursday. Pritchard had just two points on 1-for-4 shooting and White put up eight points on 1-for-7 on field goals. But Simons picked up the slack when it came to the C’s guards.
The Celtics had hit a lull in their schedule, losing three of their last four games going into Thursday’s game. But they were able to close out the clutch-time victory, winning their ninth straight game in Miami. They’re now 25-15 on the season to tie for second place in the East alongside the Knicks.