Led 3-0 by Miami, Boston came back to 3-2 by winning Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals 110-97 at home. But the Heat will have the opportunity to conclude Saturday at home.
The Celtics can still believe in miracles! While no team has ever passed a round of the play-offs after being down 3-0, Boston came back from 0-3 to 2-3 against Miami by winning Game 5 and therefore went halfway, certainly the easiest. After missing a first match point at home on Tuesday, the Heat missed a second in front of the 19,156 Celtics fans gathered at TD Garden by losing 110-97 in this Eastern Conference final. It must be said that after Tyler Herro and Victor Oladipo, it was Gabe Vincent who joined the infirmary, due to an ankle injury.
Kyle Lowry has therefore been established for the first time since the beginning of February. He finished with 5 points and 2 rebounds. In the end, Miami never led during this game. The Floridians managed to stay tied for the first few minutes, but Boston quickly took the lead (14-0), and won the first quarter 35-20. The C’s kept up the pressure during the second quarter and the gap increased to +20, and it was finally by leading 61-44 that they returned to the locker room. Miami never managed to come back in the second half, also losing the third quarter (29-28) before taking advantage of the relaxation of the Celtics at the very end of the game once the victory was won (20-25 in the last quarter) .
Four Celtics over 20 points
There was therefore not the slightest suspense in this Match 5, where Boston’s victory was collective, with four players at more than 20 points: 24 for Derrick White (including 6 3-point shots), 23 for Marcus Smart and 21 each for Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Opposite, Duncan Robinson was content with 18 points, Bam Adebayo with 16 and Jimmy Butler with 14 (his worst score during these 2023 play-offs). With 16 lost balls, against 9 for Boston, the Heat gave the stick to be beaten. On Saturday, however, he will have another opportunity to conclude, this time at home. Otherwise, it will be necessary to play a Match 7 which will go down in history if the Celtics qualify. Meanwhile, Denver quietly awaits its opponent…
NBA – PLAY-OFFS / EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS
Thursday, May 25, 2023
Boston Celtics – Miami Heat: 110-97 (Miami leads 3-2 in the series)
