It really couldn't have gone any better for the the Boston Celtics as they bounced back with a dominant performance to throttle the Miami Heat, 127-102, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals on Thursday night at FTX Arena.
With the win, Boston evened up the best-of-seven series, 1-1.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Drumming up a response after dropping a game in the playoffs has not been an issue for the Celtics. With their convincing win over the Heat in Game 2, Boston is now 4-0 following a loss in this postseason.
The Celtics have certainly played their best when their backs are against the wall during their playoff run and turned in an incredible first half to make sure they didn't fall into a 2-0 series hole.
After trailing by double digits five minutes into the contest, the Celtics erupted, especially from beyond the arc, with a 39-10 run to leave little doubt what the outcome of the contest would be early on.
The Celtics had their long distance shots dropping early and often as part of their response. Boston knocked down 12-for-19 treys in the first half and finished the game with 20-for-40 from 3-point range.
The Celtics have showed on a consistent basis throughout the playoffs that they are a resilient group and this is just the latest example of it. They played a near perfect game, and it came with one member of their regular rotation missing.
STARS OF THE GAME
-- Jayson Tatum didn't take a shot attempt in the first five minutes of the contest and then got into foul trouble late in the first quarter, but then roared back with a stellar showing. Tatum notched a team-high 27 points on an efficient 8-for-13 shooting. Tatum also had five rebounds and five assists in the win.
-- Marcus Smart made his presence felt after missing Game 1 due to a mid-foot sprain. Smart nearly recorded a triple-double by tallying 24 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds and three steals. Smart also drained 5-of-12 three-pointers and finished plus-31.
-- Jaylen Brown set the tone for the Celtics in the first quarter, netting 11 of his 24 points in the first quarter.
WAGER WATCH
There wasn't much expected out of Grant Williams from the scoring department, but bettors could have cashed in on betting the Over on his point total. DraftKings Sportsbook had Williams' over/under for points scored set at 8.5.
Williams surpassed that total alone in the first half when he scored 12 points, and placing a $100 bet on the Over (+105), would have netted a total payout of $205.
UP NEXT
The Eastern Conference finals now shifts to Boston with the Celtics taking on the Heat in Game 3 at TD Garden on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET.
