Miami Heat received both good and bad news from their recent game against the Boston Celtics. The good news is that the Celtics may not return to South Florida for several months. However, this is also bad news for the Heat.
Boston now has complete control of the Eastern Conference series. Derrick White was exceptional, scoring a career-high 38 points on Monday night, leading the top-seeded Celtics to a 102-88 victory over the eighth-seeded Heat.
White, who made 15 of 26 shots and 8 of 15 from 3-point range, credited his early success with boosting his confidence.
The Celtics extended their winning streak in Miami to six games and improved to 14-3 in their last 17 games at the Heat’s home court. Unfortunately, the victory came at a cost as Kristaps Porziņģis suffered a right calf injury in the first half.
Although he left the arena wearing a walking boot, the severity of his injury is yet to be confirmed. Jayson Tatum contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics, with Jaylen Brown scoring 17 points and Jrue Holiday adding 11 points.
“We had to keep fighting,” stated Tatum, emphasizing the team’s need to play with urgency.
Bam Adebayo had an impressive performance for Miami, scoring 25 points, grabbing 17 rebounds, and dishing out five assists.
Despite having a sold-out crowd, including Lionel Messi, the Heat struggled offensively without injured starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier. They only managed 84 points in Game 3 and faced similar challenges in Game 4.
Tyler Herro contributed 19 points, while Caleb Martin added 18 for the eighth-seeded Heat. Miami also had to deal with the loss of rookie starter Jaime Jaquez Jr. in the second half due to leg tightness, with further evaluation scheduled for Tuesday.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra acknowledged their offensive struggles and praised Derrick White’s performance for the Celtics.
The Celtics have an opportunity to advance to the second round with a win in Game 5 on Wednesday, which they will host. The winner of the Boston-Miami series will face the winner of the Cleveland-Orlando series in the Eastern Conference semifinals, with that series expected to conclude by at least Friday.
Adebayo expressed the team’s awareness of the challenging situation, referring to the upcoming game as “going into the lion’s den.” However, the Celtics have their own concerns with Porzingis’s injury late in the first half.
