Celtics advance to Eastern Semifinals by defeating Heat 118-84 in Game 5

Celtics

By KYLE HIGHTOWER, Associated Press

May 1, 2024

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown and Derrick White each scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the short-handed Miami Heat 118-84 in Game 5 Wednesday night.

Boston will face the winner of the Cleveland-Orlando series. The Cavaliers lead 3-2, with Game 6 in Orlando on Friday night.

Brown also had six assists and White made five 3-pointers. Sam Hauser added 17 points and Jayson Tatum had 16 points and 12 rebounds. The top-seeded Celtics never trailed and led by 35 points. They also got some revenge a year after the Heat routed them in Game 7 of the conference finals in Boston.

Bam Adebayo scored 23 points and Tyler Herro had 15 for Miami, which made its first playoff exit before the conference finals since 2021. The Heat struggled throughout, going 3 of 29 on 3-pointers .

Boston played in the postseason for the first time without center Kristaps Porzingis after he strained his right calf in the Celtics’ Game 4 victory. His teammates filled in the gaps, as the Celtics’ lead grew to 30 points in the first half.

Boston exploited a Heat team that was the most injured in the series. Jaime Jaquez Jr. sat out after suffering a hip injury in Game 4. He was replaced in the lineup by Delon Wright, marking the 37th starting five used by the Heat this season. Jaquez joined Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck), both of whom have been out since the start of the series.

This resulted in some unique rotations for Miami, which included veteran Patty Mills logging minutes for just the third time in the series.

Boston took advantage of the vulnerabilities in the Heat’s defense, spreading them out and knocking down eight 3-pointers in the first half. This helped the Celtics maintain an 18-point lead in the second quarter.

The highlight of the first 12 minutes came from White, who pulverized Miami from long range with eight 3s in Game 4. He stayed on the offensive early Wednesday, faking a 3-point attempt and then going for an uncontested one-handed dunk. .

White then performed in front of the home crowd, holding his hand in front of his face as he walked back onto the court. After the Heat called a timeout, a courtside fan near the Celtics bench could be seen miming White on the sideline.