The Boston Celtics showed up in Game 3 and avoided going down 3-0 in the Eastern Conference finals as Jaylen Brown scored 26 points. Jayson Tatum also added 25 and Gordon Hayward made his return on Saturday night in Boston Celtics victory against the Miami Heat. The win hauls Boston Celtics back into contention in the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Celtics did not let the Miami Heat dictate the terms of engagement and three and a half minutes into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday, they had scored at the rim three times. By the end of the third quarter, they had 50 points in the paint to the Heat’s 22.
Unlike Game 2, the Celtics’ offence did not stagnate when Miami went to its 2-3 zone and with a 117-106 win, Boston is down 2-1 in the series.
Watch Game 3 highlights below
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ome2PCZs4QQ
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Miami shot just 33-for-85 but managed to hang around until the final minute. Center Bam Adebayo had 27 points on 10-for-14 shooting, plus 16 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Tyler Herro also scored 22 points and dished four assists coming off the bench, but most of his effort came in the first half.
Boston led by as much as 13 points at halftime and as many as 19 in the third quarter. The Heat threatened to pull off the kind of comeback that sunk the Celtics in each of the first two games late in the third quarter when they went on an 11-1 run. However, Boston responded with a 7-0 run, and the margin was back to 19 early in the fourth quarter.
Miami cut the deficit to five points late in the fourth and was able to make it interesting, but it’s hard to pull a comeback victory when you shoot 4-for-26 from 3-point range in the second half.
Game leaders
Miami Heat
- Points: Bam Adebayo – 27
- Assists: Jae Crowder – 5
- Rebounds: Bam Adebayo – 16
Boston Celtics
- Points: Jaylen Brown – 26
- Assists: Jayson Tatum – 8
- Rebounds: Jayson Tatum – 14
Heat lead series 2-1
