Celtics Wrap: Jaylen Brown's 31 Points Lead Boston Over Heat 112-93

The Celtics got off to another slow start against the Heat on Wednesday at TD Garden, but Boston was able to take down Miami 112-93 relatively handily after a big second half.

Jaylen Brown led the way for Boston, pouring in 31 points behind a 5-of-9 shooting clip from deep.

Jimmy Butler led the way for the Heat with 35 points. No other Heat player had more than 10.

Boston moved to 15-5 with the win, while Miami dropped to 15-6.

Here’s how it all went down:

STARTING FIVE
PG: Kemba Walker
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Grant Williams
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Daniel Theis

ANOTHER SLOW START
The Celtics got off to a slow start, opening the game just 2-of-7 from the floor. Brown’s struggles highlighted the remainder of the first, as the wing went 1-for-6 over his first 10 minutes.

Despite the sluggish start, Boston hung around within striking distance thanks to some solid defense from Grant Williams, who got the start in place of Marcus Smart, and Javonte Green. Brad Stevens also utilized his big men as much as he could early, running lineups that included at two of Enes Kanter, Robert Williams or Daniel Theis at all times.

Boston shot 38.1 percent and trailed 28-20 after one. The Heat missed six consecutive 3-pointers to close the quarter, which helped the Celtics hang around.

Walker led Boston with eight first-quarter points, while Butler led all scorers with 11.

BENCH SPARK
Stevens dipped into his bench once again to begin the second, inserting Semi Ojeleye and Carsen Edwards to go 11 deep after just 13 minutes. It was very apparent the Celtics were missing Smart, though, as Miami quickly extended its lead to 11 points.

Boston refused to go away, getting its ball-control under wraps and turning to Tatum to keep them in this one as the second quarter moved along. A 16-5 run gave the Celtics their first lead with just over three minutes to go in the half.

The Celtics did a nice job getting to the hoop, and found themselves in the bonus for the last five minutes of the quarter. They took full advantage and dominated the free throw category, taking 18 attempts from the charity stripe compared to the Heat’s one.

Daniel Theis and Ojeleye did a very nice job as Boston’s frontcourt to close the half, helping Boston create a 26-4 run after trailing 37-26. The Celtics took a 52-44 lead into the break.

Tatum, Brown and Walker accounted for 39 of Boston’s 52 first-half points.

JAYLEN LEADING THE CHARGE
Ojeleye started the half in place of Williams and continued to do a nice job, helping the Celtics push their run out to a 42-15 stretch going back to the second quarter. The impressive multi-quarter run gave Boston a 13-point lead midway through the third frame thanks to the offensive efforts of Brown, Walker and Tatum.

?Downtown Jaylen Brown ? pic.twitter.com/zVdriFOxbi

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 5, 2019

Miami was able to bring the deficit back to single digits a short time later, but Brown’s hot shooting night would push the lead right back to 13. Back-to-back 3’s from the University of California product capped off a quick 9-0 Celtics run.

Sheesh Jaylen! pic.twitter.com/WfFzCudN4T

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 5, 2019

The Celtics led 82-69 heading into the final quarter led by Brown’s 24 points.

SEALING THE W
The Celtics stretched their lead out to 20 just two minutes into the final frame, but Miami was able to stay within striking distance thanks to Butler’s efforts.

But Brown kept cooking throughout the fourth, reaching the 30-point mark with five minutes remaining in regulation. It was the second time he’s reached 30 points this season and the fourth time for his career.

Miami trailed by 17 with three minutes left in this one, all but solidifying a Celtics win as Stevens sent the bench unit out onto the floor.

PLAY OF THE GAME
Nice sequence here from Carsen Edwards: