Derrick White scored 28 points as the Celtics beat the Heat
Jaylen Brown adds 27 points as Boston defeats defending Eastern Conference champion Miami 119-111.
Associated Press
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Boston’s Derrick White gets the ball past Miami’s Bam Adebayo during the first half of the Celtics’ 119-111 victory Friday in Boston. White scored 28 points. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
BOSTON – Derrick White scored 28 points, including five 3-pointers, and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 119-111 on Friday night in a rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference Finals.
Jaylen Brown added 27 points and six rebounds. Jayson Tatum finished with 22 points in the final game between the Eastern rivals, who have met in the conference finals in three of the last four seasons.
They split their four matches last season. Miami then reached the playoffs after a seven-game slamfest in which they blew a 3-0 series lead before defeating the Boston Celtics in Game 7 to advance to their seventh NBA Finals.
Friday’s game, the first of three this season, at times felt like an extension of last year’s series.
Neither team led by more than five points at the end of the first three quarters when both teams shot close to 50% from the field. There were six draws and six when the lead changed hands.
Tyler Herro, who missed the conference finals with a hand injury, had 28 points and made five of Miami’s 16 three-pointers. Bam Adebayo added 27 points and seven rebounds. Jimmy Butler scored 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
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Miami led 88-87 in the fourth quarter before Boston went ahead 96-90 after White scored eight straight Celtic points. Boston’s lead grew to 109-102 with just over four minutes to play before Adebayo blocked Brown’s rebound. Butler scooped up the loose ball, rushed forward and was in the process of making it when White brought him down and blocked Butler’s jump shot.
White’s layup gave the ball back to Miami, and Butler drew Kristaps Porzingis’ sixth foul on the rebound attempt. Butler then made two free throws to cut the Celtics’ lead to 109-104.
Boston returned to 112-104 with a layup by Brown and a free throw by Tatum. But another Heat spurt, capped by a Kevin Love 3-pointer, cut the deficit to 114-111 with 59 seconds left.
White was fouled and tied on both free throws. Herro went for another 3-point attempt, but came up empty. The Celtics moved the ball down the floor and Brown hit a 3 from the rim.
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Boston led 60-55 at the half. The Heat came out hot and led by as many as 13 in the first quarter. Miami’s lead increased to 42-35 in the second quarter after Dru Smith’s three-pointer. It was one of eight threes in the opening 24 minutes for the Heat, who made eight in their season-opening win over Detroit.
But the Celtics stepped up defensively in the final 8 1/2 minutes of the half, outscoring the Heat 25-13 and committing five turnovers in the quarter.
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The Boston Celtics will observe a moment of silence for the victims of the Lewiston shooting before Friday’s game against the Heat in Boston. The team was a warm-up for the Maine Celtics and the band had “Maine” on their shoulders. Michael Dwyer/Associated Press
The Celtics began the night with several tributes honoring the victims of the mass shooting in Lewiston this week. Boston players wore warmups for their G League affiliate, the Maine Celtics. In addition, the Celtics wore a “Maine” band on their jerseys to honor the state when a shooter killed 18 people and wounded 13 at a bowling alley and bar.
A quiet moment before the game also remained in the memories.
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