The Boston Celtics traveled to South Beach for their second game of the season, as they took on the Miami Heat – the same team they beat in last year’s Eastern Conference Finals. Despite a rocky third quarter, Boston held on to pick up the victory, winning 111-104.
Jayson Tatum led the way in scoring for Boston, and head coach Joe Mazzulla praised his efforts after the game.
“I let Jayson be Jayson … a huge growth with him … was reading the game … he did a great job making the right play,” Mazzulla said.
Mazzulla on getting Tatum going: "I let Jayson be Jayson … a huge growth with him … was reading the game … he did a great job making the right play."
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 22, 2022
The Celtics superstar finished the game with 29 points, five rebounds, and four assists, but he also put on an impressive display on the defensive side of the ball. He recorded a steal and two blocks, lining up denials on multiple occasions after Heat players had beaten their defenders.
Tatum was supported by Jaylen Brown, who was the only other Celtics player to score more than 10 points against the Heat. He ended the night with 28 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
The Heat put together an impressive stretch to start the third quarter, and it disrupted the Celtics’ rhythm. They were able to pull things together in the final quarter-and-a-half of action, but things got dicey for a little while.
Mazzulla commented on the team’s resilience after the game.
“There’s going to be moments throughout there year where we have to check our poise, check our execution … every game’s going to teach us something,” Mazzulla explained.
Joe Mazzulla: "There's going to be moments throughout there year where we have to check our poise, check our execution … every game's going to teach us something."
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) October 22, 2022
Boston entered the second half with a 59-51 lead, but by the time there were six minutes left in the third quarter, the Heat had pushed forward, going up 71-69. It was an impressive run, highlighted by Miami getting into the bonus early on in the quarter. They were shooting free throws with over eight minutes left to go in the third.
However, the Celtics were able to respond. They went on an 18-8 run to end the quarter and entered the fourth up 89-77, and held onto that lead for the remainder of the contest.
The Cetlics are now 2-0 on the season, taking down two playoff-quality East rivals in the process. Mazzulla said this game was a great test for Boston.
“This was a great test for us. I thought our guys did a great job responding but we’ll be judged by how well we handle our success,” Mazzulla stated.
Joe Mazzulla: "This was a great test for us. I thought our guys did a great job responding but we'll be judged by how well we handle our success."
— Jay King (@ByJayKing) October 22, 2022
Big man Al Horford also spoke about the Celtics’ ability to close out the game, praising the closing lineup who helped rein things back in after a rough start to the third.
“Just continued to grind the game out,” Horford said. “They made a run in the third. Coach called a timeout, and we talked about, ‘that was the run that they made and let’s kind of move forward from there.’ Our group did a great job closing them out in the third, and then, once we got to the fourth, it was back and forth. We made plays, enough plays when we needed to, but most importantly, defensively, we got those stops that were big for us.”
"It's a big win… we just took on the challenge"@tvabby caught up with Al Horford after the Celtics' win in Miami pic.twitter.com/aBzALJQbF9
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 22, 2022
Most of Boston’s rotational pieces earned minutes near the end of the third, so it was a true team effort to get them back in the game. However, the run was highlighted by a pair of unselfish plays ending in two Grant Williams corner threes.
Boston will remain in Florida for another day, as they will take on the Orlando Magic on the second night of a back-to-back on October 22. That game will tip off at 7:00 p.m. Eastern time.