Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 117-106 win over the Heat with BSJ insight and analysis:
Box Score
Celtics deliver a complete 48 minutes effort to win first game of series: The Celtics built a double-digit lead in the first half yet again in Game 3 but did not lose their poise for the first time in the Eastern Conference Finals, as the C’s cruised to a win over the Heat Saturday night. Jaylen Brown set the tone with a game-high 26 points, 7 rebounds and a postseason career-high 5 assists. Jayson Tatum added 25 points, 14 rebounds and 8 assists as the C’s dominated the game in the paint (60-36 edge) for the majority of 48 minutes to earn their first win of the series. Kemba Walker also posted 21 points and 6 rebounds in the win.
Boston’s defense also loomed large in the win, as they held Miami to 40 percent shooting from the field and 30 percent from 3-point range. Marcus Smart moved onto Goran Dragic (11 points, 2/9 FG) defensively and held him in check for the first time all series. Bam Adebayo had a team-high 27 points and Tyler Herro (22 points) was red-hot in the first half but he struggled after intermission, as the Heat got no closer than five points in the final minute in a mini scare for the C's.
The C’s now get three days of rest before a pivotal Game 4 on Wednesday night.
Gordon Hayward shows little rust in return: The veteran wing made his return from a five-week absence and played 31 minutes in what was a very impactful outing. He only scored 6 points but packed the box score with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and a block, helping the C’s reduce their minutes for the rest of the bench while maintaining multiple scoring threats on the floor at all times. In even bigger news for the C’s, Rachel Nichols reported during the broadcast that Hayward would no longer be leaving the bubble to be with his wife Robyn for the birth of his son after spending time with his family during the rehab. Having Hayward available for the remainder of this series will be critical for the C’s chances as they continue to fight back from a 0-2 hole.
TURNING POINT
After the Heat trimmed down the Celtics 18-point lead to single digits in the closing minutes of the third quarter, the C’s counterpunched with a 10-1 run of their own to put down Miami’s final threat of the night until the Celtics got careless in the final minutes.
TWO UP
Jaylen Brown: The swingman played a top-5 postseason game in his career, posting a team-high 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field in the first half alone. He led the C’s in scoring and dished out a postseason career-high in assists, but his defense was a game-changer as well early with three steals and a block that helped create easy transition offense for Boston.
Jayson Tatum: The All-Star showed off some unselfish play in the first half, posting seven assists by the break on top of a team-high 7 rebounds and 13 points. He bounced back from an ugly Game 2 on the rebounding front by grabbing 13 board and led all players in plus/minus.
TWO DOWN
Daniel Theis: The big man missed a number of point blank shots down low (2-of-5) and piled up five fouls in 24 minutes, including a foolish one that forced him to the bench in the fourth quarter.
Former Celtics: After a couple hot shooting nights to start the series, Miami came back down to earth in this one beyond the efforts of Tyler Herro from 3-point range. Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk were two of the worst offenders in this one, combining to go 2-of-13 from 3-point range.
TOP PLAY
Block ➡️ HAMMER ? pic.twitter.com/Z8okXuioZe
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) September 20, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Brad Stevens made the right adjustment with Smart defensively: Goran Dragic had been the biggest consistent headache for the Celtics in this series, just like Kyle Lowry was in Round 2. With Gordon Hayward back in the fold to help chase shooters around the perimeter, Marcus Smart was freed up to cut off the head of the snake in Dragic. He succeeded in tremendous fashion in what was a team effort in this contest. Dragic scored just 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting but was a whopping -29 in plus/minus as his offensive struggles clearly took a toll on his defensive effort as well. Smart failed to let him get easy looks in transition and also was able to bully him in the post a bit on the defensive end of the floor and that took the crafty point guard out of his element for the first time all postseason. Other Heat players found some big offensive nights, but the open looks for 3s weren’t as plentiful without Dragic rolling. It took a couple games to make the move but I think this a matchup we will see for the rest of the series.
The return of the best five lineup was promising: It was a delayed postseason debut for the Smart/Walker/Hayward/Tatum/Brown unit but it came in like a wrecking ball despite Hayward’s lengthy absence. The Heat had its way with this group during the seeding games thanks to Bam Adebayo’s bullying in the post, but the Heat had no answer for the C’s firepower and versatility in this postseason rematch. The unit was a +13 in seven minutes, including a big run at the end of the second quarter to help push the C’s lead back up to double digits. The success was largely predicated on tremendous offense, as the Celtics scored 26 points in the seven minutes they were together on the court, which featured 8-of-11 shooting from the field and eight trips to the FT line. The Heat don’t have the defenders to slow down everyone in this group and that was on display in Game 3.