BOSTON — The Boston Celtics closed out their first-round NBA playoff series against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night with a 118-84 blowout win in Game 5 at TD Garden.
The Celtics took the series, 4-1, and won three straight games after dropping Game 2.
Check out the full box score here.
ONE BIG TAKEAWAY
The Celtics left nothing to chance in Game 5 to make sure they extinguished the Heat and sent them home packing.
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Boston, which played without the injured Kristaps Porzingis, was the aggressor from the start and never trailed in the contest. Derrick White carried over his hot hand from a career performance in Game 4 to help set the tone and propel the Celtics to a 41-23 lead after the first quarter. Boston shot a blistering 66.7% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc in the opening frame.
The Celtics didn’t let up after the strong start, going on a 14-2 run to begin the second quarter to open up a 30-point lead. They pretty much stayed on the throttle, as the outcome of the game was never in doubt.
The showing was exactly what the Celtics needed in a closeout game. They buried an inferior and undermanned opponent and didn’t let them gain any sort of momentum.
The Celtics’ four wins over the Heat came by an average margin of 22 points, but with one playoff opponent dispatched, it will only get tougher from here for Boston.
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STARS OF THE GAME
— White followed up a 38-point performance by netting 15 of his 25 points in the first quarter. He shot 8-for-13 from the field, including 5-for-10 from beyond the arc.
— Jaylen Brown was in attack mode from the outset as he took seven of Boston’s first 13 shot attempts. He finished with 25 points on 11-for-19 shooting — 10 of Brown’s 11 made field goals came from within the paint — to go along with six rebounds.
— Jayson Tatum wasn’t dominant but played winning basketball. He posted a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds, and his plus-35 rating was by far the best of any player.
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UP NEXT
The Celtics advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals where they will meet either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Orlando Magic — Cleveland holds a 3-2 series lead heading into Friday’s Game 6. Dates and times for Boston’s next series have yet to be released.
Featured image via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
