Final: Heat 120, Celtics 116 (OT) - Turnovers kill Celtics

Game 23: Celtics (-7) vs. Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m., TD Garden, NBCS Boston

Injuries: 

Boston: Danilo Gallinari, Robert Williams
Miami: Victor Oladipo (knee), Omer Yurtseven (ankle), Jimmy Butler (questionable, knee), Dewayne Dedmon (questionable, foot), Tyler Herro (probable, ankle), Nikola Jovic (questionable, foot), Gabe Vincent (probable, knee), Duncan Robinson (probable, ankle), Max Strus (probable, shoulder)

Heat probable starters: Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Caleb Martin, Jimmy Butler

Refs: John Goble (#10), Scott Twardoski (#52), Mousa Dagher (#28)

Last time they played: The Celtics stormed out with a monster run Wednesday night and it looked like the Heat, missing Butler, were getting roasted early. But Miami answered with a monster run of its own and it was a battle the rest of the way. Jayson Tatum carried the load for Boston with 49 points and the C’s overcame Miami’s best offensive game of the season to pull away late and win 134-121. 

A little something about this game: Jimmy Butler is listed as questionable, but he posted a video on social media of himself on a private plane apparently heading to Boston. In the video, he says he’s been out too long and that he’s thirsty, so it seems like he’ll be back for this game. Wednesday’s Celtics win made them 11-1 at home, while Miami dropped to 2-8 on the road.  

How Boston wins: The Celtics put up 134 points against primarily zone defense, so I expect Miami to switch it up a little bit, especially when Tatum is in the game. He killed their zone, so I’d expect the Heat to blitz him when they have the chance and hope their active hands can force some turnovers. If that's what happens, then Tatum has to get off the ball early and let his teammates play 4-on-3 and carve them up that way. We could see a lot of Tatum drives turn into two swings and a 3-pointer. 

Defensively, the Celtics need to switch up their pick and roll coverage. They let Herro walk into too many easy shots because they were too concerned with Adebayo heading to the rim. Personally, I wouldn’t put it past Joe Mazzulla to go from switch nothing to switch everything in this game and not give Miami any sense of what they might do situationally. 

How Miami wins: Butler arrives and kills the Celtics by sinking every mid-range shot he gets on his way to a 40 point night. Butler’s social media post tells you this game means something to him, and he wants to send the message that he’s capable of beating the best team in the league by himself. This is a December playoff game to Butler, so the Celtics should be aware of that. He’s going to come in and play at a different speed. 

Things I’m looking for:

- Tatum distributing: I really think Tatum will see a different level of defense in this one. I really think Butler is going to walk into that locker room and have his guys ready to send a message. I think they're buoyed by the fact that they missed out on a real opportunity on Wednesday night and they're itching to prove themselves. So Tatum and the Celtics are going to have to be especially on point. The Heat don’t want another 49 dropped on their heads, and they’ll do whatever they can to avoid it. 

- Miami shooters, hot or not?: I said it the last game and I’ll repeat myself here … they can’t let the shooters get hot because if the role players are pouring in points, then you’re in for a shootout with the Heat. The Celtics can’t have Haywood Highsmith destroying them again, or they’ll lose. 

- Grant Williams slump busting: He’s 4-14 from 3 over his last five games. Nothing to worry about necessarily, but you don’t want to see prolonged slumps from anyone. There's some regression to the mean happening, but I’d like to see Grant be a little more consistent. 

While you’re waiting for the opening tip, enjoy the latest Locked On Celtics podcast with me and Tom Westerholm

Follow along below or in the comments during the game, chime in, and let’s have fun.