The Boston Celtics led wire-to-wire as they steamrolled the Miami Heat, 102-82, in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals on Monday night at TD Garden.
With the much-needed victory, the Celtics evened up the best-of-seven series at 2-2.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
Unlike the previous game, the Celtics were engaged, and played like a trip to the NBA Finals was on the line, from the opening tipoff.
The urgency ended up making all the difference. The Celtics smothered the Heat into a horrific shooting performance in the first quarter and began the contest with an 18-1 run.
Derrick White injected energy into the starting unit as he took the place of the injured Marcus Smart while Robert Williams provided a boost as well after missing Game 3 due to lingering soreness in his left knee.
The Celtics obviously learned a lesson from Game 3 as after trailing by 21 points following the first quarter in that contest, Boston held a 29-11 advantage after the opening frame on Monday.
There really might be something to the Celtics playing better when faced with more adversity. Boston is now 5-0 in these playoffs following a loss.
STARS OF THE GAME
— Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics by scoring a game-high 31 points to go along with eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks. What keyed Tatum offensively was his ability to get to the free-throw line 16 times, and he made 14 of his attempts. Another important piece to Tatum’s outing is he turned the ball over only three times.
— White played a big role in Boston’s torrid start as he scored the team’s first seven points. White replicated a lot of what Smart provides in 41 minutes, finishing with 13 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals.
— Robert Williams played only 19 minutes, but definitely made a big impact during his time on the court. Williams nearly notched a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds while also swatting away two shots.
WAGER WATCH
If bettors ended up picking Tatum to score at least 35 points, it ended up being a bad beat. Tatum, who sat out most of the fourth quarter as the Celtics held a massive lead, came up just shy of that total, which had juicy +380 odds. If Tatum had scored 35 or more points, a $100 bet would have netted a total payout of $480.
UP NEXT
The Eastern Conference finals now heads back to Miami for Game 5. The Celtics and Heat will tip off that contest on Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. ET from FTX Arena.
