Celtics beat Heat 104-84 to take 2-1 lead in East Series

MIAMI (AP) — For two days, the Boston Celtics lamented being beaten at home. And when they finally got to play again, they let out all their frustration.

The result: a defensive masterpiece.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 22 points to lead a balanced approach, and the Celtics beat the Miami Heat 104-84 on Saturday night to take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

“We didn’t make too many adjustments,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We played a little harder, we played harder and we dictated the physicality and the pace of the game. These are simple things you need to do under high stress and high adversity. I thought our guys did a great job dictating that tonight.

Game 4 is Monday in Miami, where the Celtics are 9-2 in their last 11 games and 6-1 in their last seven playoff games.

Tatum added 10 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who led Game 3 wire-to-wire and reclaimed the home-court advantage they lost when Miami won Game 2 in Boston. Kristaps Porzingis scored 18 points and Derrick White scored 16 for the Celtics.

The last time either team saw those kinds of numbers — Boston on defense, Miami on offense — was Game 5 of the East Finals on May 25, 2022, a Celtics 93-80 road victory who helped them reach this season’s NBA Finals. The Heat had scored more than 84 points in every game since and the Celtics had allowed more than 84 in every game since.

“That’s where we’re going to win games, on the defensive end,” Tatum said.

Bam Adebayo scored 20 points for eighth-seeded Miami, which remains without starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier due to injuries. Nikola Jovic and Tyler Herro each scored 15 for the Heat, who got 12 from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

“They took things away from us that we would like to get to,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It was the most physical team. They bullied us, bullied us on screens, ran through stuff, distorted screens, everything. … They have to be given credit for that. They were the more physical team, the team with more physicality and strength on both ends of the floor.

Rebounding efforts have been a trend for Boston this season. The Celtics – the No. 1 seed in the playoffs – don’t lose often, and when they do, they tend to just go out and win their next game. Boston is now 15-4 in the game immediately after a loss this season, with its average margin of victory in these games being 12.2 points.

“Just a mindset,” Brown said. “We emphasized defense, trying to make them a little uncomfortable…and I think that opened the game up.”

Boston never trailed in Game 1, a 114-94 victory, and never trailed in Game 3 before beating Miami for the fifth time in six games this season. The Celtics led 21-12 after one game, setting the tone that nothing would come easy for the Heat.

Midway through the second quarter, it looked — briefly — like Miami had weathered the storm. The Heat had a bit of a run, the building had a bit of life and Herro glanced at a 3-point shot that would have brought the Heat to within 10.

It ended. The storm was not weathered. In fact, it was just beginning.

The Celtics outscored Miami 20-8 in the next 4 ½ minutes to go up 61-36 and the game was never in doubt again. It was 63-39 at the break, with Boston dominating in every way – a 19-2 advantage at the break. points off turnovers, a 26-12 advantage in the paint, 27-15 in rebounds, 13-6 in assists.

The lead grew to 29 in the second half, with Miami never getting closer than 18 after halftime.

“From the jump, they were more aggressive than us,” Jovic said. “This shouldn’t happen.”