Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum contributed 47 points combined to help the visiting Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 93-80 on Wednesday, to take a 3-2 lead in the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

Both teams warmed up slowly, but the Celtics broke the ice with Robert Williams' shot in the paint over two minutes after the tip-off. The game then turned into a seesaw battle, as Brown and Jimmy Butler made 3-pointers in turn. The Heat led the first quarter 19-17 and held a 5-point advantage into third quarter.

The situation changed after the Celtics came back from the locker room. They surpassed the Heat with an 8-0 run, cut the deficit, and generated a double-digit advantage in the third quarter.

In the last 12 minutes, the Heat's efforts were always offset as Brown poured 13 points including three 3-pointers, along with Tatum's nine points and two assists to seal the victory for the Celtics.

AI Horford of the Celtics summed up their performance: "In the first half, it was tough because we weren't hitting shots and we were turning the ball over, but the key for us was continuing to do what we do defending, and then on offense playing how we play. And eventually, we were able to get it going."

Game 6 will be played in Boston in two days' time.

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)