Final: Heat 98, Celtics 95 - C's wilt down the stretch

Game 49: Celtics (+4.5) at Miami Heat, 7:30 p.m., Miami-Dade Arena, TNT/NBCS Boston 

Injuries: 

Boston: OUT- Danilo Gallinari, Marcus Smart (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (personal reasons), Al Horford (low back stiffness), Jaylen Brown (adductor injury management)

Miami: OUT- Omer Yurtseven (foot), Nikola Jovic (back), Duncan Robinson (finger)

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

Refs: Pat Fraher (#26), Karl Lane (#77), Matt Myers (#43)

Last time they played: Miami 120, Celtics 116 (OT), December 2-  This was a slog for both teams early on, with neither team hitting many shots in the first quarter. The shots started to fall in the second, but the turnovers also started to pile up. The Celtics found some separation in the third and fourth quarters, building a lead as high as 13, but the Heat kept hanging around thanks to Boston coughing the ball up so much. Jaylen Brown hit a ridiculous buzzer-beater to force overtime, but Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo closed the door in the extra session.

A little something about this game: Miami is coming off a wild comeback win over the Pelicans. They’ve alternated wins and losses over their last four games. Their three most recent losses have all been on the road, and they’ve won four straight at home. The Celtics are undefeated on the second nights of back-to-backs.

How the Celtics win: This is going to take a real team effort. Not only is Jayson Tatum going to have to handle a big workload, guys who don’t normally score a ton of points are going to have to put the ball in the hole. This is a great opportunity for guys to feel comfortable taking shots without worrying about getting pulled. The Celtics defense is going to have to force some turnovers and get out into the open floor to pile up some points.

How the Heat win: Double and blitz Tatum at every turn, frustrate him if possible, get him talking to the refs and focused on something other than making the right plays for his teammates. Miami is going for the “can’t call ‘em all” world record tonight, so don’t be surprised if there's a lot of frustration on Boston’s side. Miami will dare anyone else to beat them. Offensively, I expect Butler to be focused from the beginning. I think he’ll want 40 tonight.

Things I’m looking for:

- Poise under pressure: This will be a tough situation for the Celtics. Can they keep it together and not let a lack of calls be an issue?

- Miami letdown? We’ve seen teams (cough cough -- the Celtics -- cough) look at an opponent missing a bunch of good players and think things will be easy. Meanwhile, guys on the shorthanded team are ready to make the most of their opportunities. Can Boston jump out to a big early lead? Can they hold onto it if they do? 

- Sam Hauser carryover: He really needed a good shooting night and he got one in Orlando. If the Heat are blitzing Tatum, Hauser might be able to get some swing-swing 3-point looks. Watch for him two passes away, getting open looks off Heat pressure. If he’s hitting, he alone could force Miami to switch defensive strategies. 

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