The Boston Celtics continued their string of dominance against the Miami Heat on Friday night, pulling away late for a 103-91 road win in South Beach. Boston played without two starters (Jaylen Brown, Kristaps Porzingis) but got big performances from their backcourt in the victory.
Jrue Holiday finished with a season-high 25 points while Derrick White scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter to close the door on the Heat. Jayson Tatum finished with a game-high 28 points in the victory.
The Celtics led by as many as 14 points in the first quarter after Holiday’s hot shooting start but the Heat clawed back into their game with their defense in the middle two frames.
Ultimately, it was Boston’s defense and White’s shooting that helped put the game away with the Celtics outscoring the Heat 25-14 in the fourth quarter. It was the sixth straight loss for Miami who continue to look lost in late game situations offensively following the trade of Butler.
Boston limited Miami to just 25 percent shooting from the field in the final period. They have won 13 of their last 15 games overall against the Heat.
It will be a quick turnaround for Boston on this road trip as they head to Brooklyn for an early 6 p.m. tip on Saturday night.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics’ win on Friday night:
Jrue Holiday comes alive offensively: It had been a quiet stretch for Holiday offensively entering Friday night having averaged just nine points per game since returning from his mallet finger injury. The veteran guard came alive though in South Beach though as the Heat dared him to beat them from the perimeter. Holiday scored 16 of his season-high 25 points in the first half, helping the visitors build a double-digit lead early that eventually slipped away. Holiday also knocked down a season-high five 3s, a promising sign for a guy that will have to continue to wear a splint on his pinky for at least the new few weeks.
Derrick White bails out offense late: The Celtics offense went through nearly a five minute scoreless stretch in the final period but they were bailed out on multiple occasions by their point guard. White missed his first six threes of the night but then bounced back to hit three crucial ones in the fourth quarter where offense was very hard to come by. Those buckets combined with some stout Boston defense enabled the visitors to shut the door on the shorthanded win. White finished with a team-high 10 points in the period.
The Heat are a tough watch in the post Butler era: The return for Jimmy Butler was uninspiring and after six straight losses, there’s not much to feel optimistic about in Miami for the future. Andrew Wiggins is inefficient and overpaid as a secondary option, Tyler Herro is a defensive liability and Bam Adebayo’s offensive game has not taken the next step. With offense tough to come by up and down the lineup and no promising lottery pick coming (the Heat are going to make the play-in), Miami looks primed for years of mediocrity in the Eastern Conference.
Celtics continue road dominance: Boston remains a better team on the road than at TD Garden this year, improving to 25-7 away from home. They have the second-best road record in the NBA behind the Cavs and have won eight of their last nine games on the road. With a soft road schedule on the horizon, it’s highly possible that the Celtics could finish with the best road record in the league despite being seven games behind the Cavs in the overall standings.
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