Celtics Wrap: Dominant 95-78 Win Over Heat Gets Boston Back On Track

The Celtics needed Thursday night’s win over the Orlando Magic to get back on track, but following it up with a 95-78 win over the Miami Heat on the second night of a back-to-back? The world might not end in Boston now.

Boston improved to 4-5 with the win, while Miami falls to 6-2.

Here’s the full box score.

ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Those losses to bad teams were adding up, and this was the perfect trap game for the Miami Heat.

Despite Jayson Tatum not hitting his first field goal until the fourth quarter, he was the perfect analogy for what the Celtics can accomplish when they lock in on the other side of the ball. The Heat are one of the best teams in the NBA, especially on the defensive side, and Boston was able to match that energy and get out to as much as a 24-point lead. They had huge contributions from the bench, too, with Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith taking advantage of extra minutes with Josh Richardson out.

A big road win against a great team should do wonders for their morale.

STARS OF THE GAME
— Jaylen Brown left the game early with hamstring tightness but led a balanced offensive attack with 17 points, five rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block.

— The third star of the game could be awarded to a few players, with both Marcus Smart and Dennis Schröder playing great, but Langford and Nesmith both took advantage of extra playing time and the Celtics don’t win this game without the bench. Nesmith netted 13 points with three rebounds and an assist. Langford, meanwhile, had 12 points, two boards, an assist and had a single-game plus-minus of +25.

WAGER WATCH
If you thought Boston finally would have a bounce-back game against Miami, you had great odds. The Celtics were underdogs at +215 entering the game, so a $100 bet would have paid out $215, via DraftKings Sportsbook.

UP NEXT
The Celtics continue their road trip and head out to Dallas to face the Mavericks on Saturday, with tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET.