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On Boston’s first possession of the game, Marcus Smart drove to the basket and hit a y-1 on a reverse layup.
On the next possession, Jaylen Brown landed a bucket by cutting a layup, assisted by Smart. On the next possession, Brown drove the lane and leaned on a float. Boston’s next bucket was a Jayson Tatum driving layup.
Boston’s first nine points came with them attacking the heart of the Miami defense (going to Duncan Robinson in particular), and that continued the entire game with the Celtics getting 60 points in the paint.
“Boston came out really strong. You have to give them credit for that, ”Heat coach Eric Spoelstra said after the game.
He added 31 quality minutes from Gordon Hayward on his return from an ankle sprain, providing higher quality band play and good decision making, and Boston raced to a comfortable lead and held at the end for a win by 117-106 in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Heat lead the series 2-1, and Game 4 won’t be until Wednesday night (a slight delay to allow the West to catch up).
After a sloppy loss in Game 2 where the Celtics became passive to the Miami zone defense in the second half, followed by a post-game meltdown and a meeting of minds, the boys at the heart of the young core The Celtics stepped up their game on Saturday. night.
Particularly Brown, who scored 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting and was reaching the basket throughout the game. He was also playing suffocating defense.
Jaylen Brown Dunk Count: Many# Celts pic.twitter.com/sLItIGvrrH
– Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) September 20, 2020
Smart, a player on the All-Defensive Team, had his best game of the series, pinning Goran Dragic, who had been the Heat’s best scorer and shot-maker in two games. Without Dragic breaking the Celtics defense and scoring points in the paint, Miami has to live off the three and the Celtics defenders did a better job staying home.
“The pressure of the ball from Marcus on Dragic was important,” Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the game. “It is something that we must continue to analyze. Marcus did a great job with a guy who’s playing better than I’ve ever seen him. “
Boston also got more minutes from Gordon Hayward than expected, minutes Stevens called a “stabilizing force” for the team.
“I am extremely tired right now. My ankle hurts a lot, ”Hayward said after the game, adding that with the extra days off he should be ready for Game 4.
Hayward’s presence also allowed Boston to play small ball without Daniel Theis or a true center on the court, the Celtics changed everything on defense and Miami did not take advantage. Look to Eric Spoelstra to draw on more Bam Adebayo against that little lineup next game.
“They were on our heels. They were out there playing and having fun. I think that was the difference in the game. ” Bam Adebayo said after the game.
Miami did not throw the ball well on Saturday night, only 27.3% out of three. Jae Crowder, who had been hot, was 2 of 8 from deep, while Tyler Herro was 4 of 12. Adebayo had 27 points and 16 rebounds to lead the Heat.
Boston had four players with more than 20 points: Brown (26), Tatum (25), Kemba Walker (21) and Smart (20).
Boston will need another game like that, and they will have to close better, Miami made it interesting late, to equalize Wednesday’s series.
Miami said that after the game they saw what happened in this game as a challenge for them. The fourth game is going to be intense.
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