BSJ Game Report: Celtics 103, Heat 91 - White comes alive as C's pull away in fourth quarter

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' win over Miami, with BSJ insight and analysis.

IN A NUTSHELL

Jrue Holiday dropped 10 first-quarter points and Boston came out hot from 3, but the Heat closed the first on a run and cut the lead to seven heading into the second. Andrew Wiggins scored 10 in the second as Miami flipped the score and tied it at halftime. Jayson Tatum woke up to score 11, Holiday added another nine, and Boston took a one-point lead into the fourth. Derrick White got hot to start the fourth and Boston closed it from there. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Jrue Holiday’s makeup game: I asked for it in the live coverage post, and he delivered, which proves Holiday reads BSJ. He was aggressive throughout the game and his shot looked good. 

“The first three felt good,” he said in his walkoff interview. “Sometimes on the catch (my finger) feels weird, but there's no excuses out here. They don't care that my finger’s broken or I have mallet finger. So I just try to come out here every game and focus in and try to lock in.”

- Derrick White is clutch: He scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, taking over while Tatum sat on the bench. He hit some ridiculous shots with the clock winding down while also making clutch defensive plays. It’s hard not to trust that he’ll come through when he’s needed. 

- Clinched a playoff spot: I know you all were worried about this, but with Boston’s win and Atlanta’s loss, the absolute worst the Celtics can be is the sixth seed. In reality, they will be the second seed, but should whatever curse has felled the Dallas Mavericks spread to Boston, they are in the playoffs. 

TURNING POINT 

The Celtics went on a 10-0 run early in the fourth quarter to take a lead they’d never relinquish. Boston’s defense (and Miami’s lack of scoring ability) held the Heat to 14 points in the quarter. 

THINGS I LIKED

- Holiday’s redemption: These guys have the utmost confidence, so one bad shooting night doesn’t bother them that much. Holiday is especially good at understanding what’s done is done, it can’t be changed, so once the game is over you have to move on to the next game. He did that in a big way, finishing with 25 points on 10-15 shooting. And after a 1-7 game from 3 against OKC, he went 5-8 in this one. So he’s 6-15 over his last two games, which is 40%. 

That's why you put bad shooting nights behind you. If you focus on the next one, good shooters will eventually settle into good percentages. 

- Derrick White: You know why.

He didn’t have a great first three quarters, going 3-11 (0-6 3pt) for six points. But then he dropped 12 points on 4-7 shooting (3-5 3pt) in the fourth. This is why you don’t stop shooting when you’re cold early in the game.  

- Luke Kornet: I have to rewatch this game and see what Joe Mazzulla was thinking with the bigs, because I thought Luke played great and Neemias Queta mostly sucked. But Mazzulla had Queta in the game in the fourth and Kornet only played two minutes. I’m missing something here. I thought Kornet worked hard, moved the ball, and made smart plays. 

- Al Horford: A solid night for Horford, who only scored nine points but had five assists, nine rebounds, and a block. I thought he showed off a lot of versatility. 

- Ean Horford: He is EXCITED about this 3 from White. 

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE

- Neemias Queta: I thought he was awful. I thought looked confused and lost. He committed bad fouls and he didn’t create much space with his screens. 

However, both Mazzulla and White praised him for his defense after the game, and he played the whole fourth quarter. I rarely have this much of a disagreement with the guys on the team. I’m honestly confused by it. 

- Jayson Tatum: He woke up in the third quarter, and his raw numbers (28 points, four rebounds, five assists) look great, but he was sluggish for most of this game. I hated his first half, but he bounced back well enough. I’m going to assume he’s out versus Brooklyn anyway, so I’ll just voice this little displeasure and move on. 

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Rest Jayson Tatum. 

I said this about Jaylen Brown after the last game, now I’ll say it about Tatum. There's no way he should play in Brooklyn tomorrow. 

“(There will be) a lot of head-butting, for sure,” Tatum said about the team asking him to rest. “I’ve talked about the value that I’ve put into playing in road games. I’ve been very blessed and fortunate to come into arenas — I see a lot of Tatum jerseys. I understand it might be for their birthday, Christmas gift or whatever.”

This is true, but do they want to see you struggle and play with low energy? 

I appreciate Tatum’s stance, but he has to be realistic about the bigger picture. Just take the night off on this tough back-to-back. 

- Losing two timeouts late in the fourth quarter is borderline unforgivable in a situation like this. 

The Celtics had slowed down to a crawl in the fourth in a game where they looked lethargic for long stretches. Boston had the ball with five-plus minutes on the clock and four timeouts. 

Why not call one to give the guys a break? You only get two after the 3:00 mark, so you’re not putting yourself in a bad spot. You have them. Use them. I thought the shot clock violation at 5:29 was a perfect opportunity to take one. 

Next up: The Celtics travel to Brooklyn for a back-to-back tomorrow night at 6 p.m.