The Celtics nearly pulled off another double-digit comeback, but the Miami Heat held on to their lead in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to win 104-98 and end Boston’s win streak at 16.
The Celtics fell behind early and trailed for nearly the entire game before trimming the deficit to one late in the fourth. That’s when Miami pulled away, as Goran Dragic (27 points) and Dion Waiters (26 points) led the way offensively for the Heat.
Kyrie Irving led the Celtics with 23 points. The C’s were hurt by poor shooting from 3-point range (36 percent) and the free throw line (70 percent).
The C’s fall to 16-3 with the loss, while the Heat improve to 8-9.
Here’s how it all went down:
STARTING FIVE
PG: Kyrie Irving
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Al Horford
C: Aron Baynes
ROUGH START
The Heat went on an 11-0 run after trailing 4-0 to start the game. Dragic led that run with six points. Miami didn’t let up, either, finishing the quarter with a 27-16 lead thanks to excellent shooting. The Heat hit on 11 of their 21 shot attempts, including three 3-pointers. The Heat bench also outscored their Celtics counterparts 8-3.
Irving led the Celtics with six points on 3-for-4 shooting, while the rest of the team shot 4-for-18. Horford went 0-for-4 from the field but did grab five rebounds.
DRAGIC ON A ROLL
Miami opened the second quarter on fire, forcing Boston to take an early timeout after the Heat’s lead increased to 37-21 on a Dragic 3-pointer. The Heat shot 51.3 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from 3-point range, giving them a 54-41 lead at the half. Dragic led all players with 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and a 6-for-6 mark at the foul line. He hit a 3-pointer in the final minute of the second quarter that put Miami back up 13 after the C’s trimmed an 18-point deficit to 10.
Tatum (10 points), Irving (nine) and Brown (eight) led the way offensively for the Celtics. They struggled shooting from beyond the arc, hitting just five of their 18 3-point shots. Boston also struggled on the boards as Miami tallied a 27-19 edge in rebounds.
Celtics shooting 33.3 percent, with Horford (1-7), Morris (1-5), Smart (1-5) and Rozier (1-5) all with influential roles.
— Mark Murphy (@Murf56) November 23, 2017
HEAT WAVE
The Celtics played well for most of the third quarter, and trimmed the deficit to single digits a few times, though they never got closer than eight. Each time the C’s got under 10, the Heat responded. The last few minutes of the quarter belonged to the Heat, as they stretched their lead to 16 at 79-63 by the end of the third quarter.
The Celtics missed their last five shots of the quarter over a four-minute span. Irving led the C’s with 13 points through 36 minutes, but he shot just 5-for-14. Miami did a good job contesting his drives to the rim.
COMEBACK FALLS SHORT
A 12-0 run by the Celtics cut the Heat lead to just two at 91-89. Defense, again, was the driver of the comeback. The Celtics got stops and defensive rebounds, while also capitalizing on open looks at the offensive end of the floor.
Boston got within 91-90 before Miami went on an 8-1 run to seal the win. A pair of 3-point shots from Waiters, one of which came after two missed free throws by Horford, were huge for the Heat.
Miami hit its free throws in the final minute to finish the game.
HIGHLIGHT OF THE NIGHT
Tatum’s spin to the basket is an effective move.
UP NEXT
The Celtics return to TD Garden for a Friday night game against the Orland Magic. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.
