Celtics Edge Heat, 104-103, Forces Game 7
The Boston Celtics defeated the Miami Heat, 104-103, at Kaseya Center on Saturday night in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Finals series. The series is tied 3-3.
The Celtics (3-3) came into the game with a head of steam after winning two straight, and Boston laid a solid foundation for a potential Game 7 by jumping out to a 57-53 lead by halftime. The visitors then played their best defensive quarter of the game in the third, holding the Heat (3-3) to 19 points to take a seven-point advantage into the final period. Miami continued to struggle offensively for a significant portion of the fourth quarter and was down 98-88 with just 3:51 remaining before going on a 15-4 run over the following 3:48. However, the Celtics pulled off a miracle on their final possession, with Derrick White tipping in a narrow Marcus Smart miss at the buzzer to send the series back to TD Garden.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double that included five assists, two blocks and one steal. Jaylen Brown provided 26 points, 10 boards, three assists and two steals. Smart supplied 21 points, four rebounds and one assist. White compiled 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, three blocks and one steal. Robert Williams registered 10 points, seven rebounds and one block.
Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 24 points, adding 11 rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Caleb Martin furnished a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double that included one assist, one steal and one block. Gabe Vincent turned in 15 points, four rebounds and one block. Duncan Robinson delivered 13 points, two assists and one rebound. Bam Adebayo posted 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Max Strus totaled 10 points, three assists and one rebound.
The series shifts back to Boston for Monday night's decisive Game 7.
The Celtics (3-3) came into the game with a head of steam after winning two straight, and Boston laid a solid foundation for a potential Game 7 by jumping out to a 57-53 lead by halftime. The visitors then played their best defensive quarter of the game in the third, holding the Heat (3-3) to 19 points to take a seven-point advantage into the final period. Miami continued to struggle offensively for a significant portion of the fourth quarter and was down 98-88 with just 3:51 remaining before going on a 15-4 run over the following 3:48. However, the Celtics pulled off a miracle on their final possession, with Derrick White tipping in a narrow Marcus Smart miss at the buzzer to send the series back to TD Garden.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with a 31-point, 12-rebound double-double that included five assists, two blocks and one steal. Jaylen Brown provided 26 points, 10 boards, three assists and two steals. Smart supplied 21 points, four rebounds and one assist. White compiled 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, three blocks and one steal. Robert Williams registered 10 points, seven rebounds and one block.
Jimmy Butler paced the Heat with 24 points, adding 11 rebounds, eight assists and one steal. Caleb Martin furnished a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double that included one assist, one steal and one block. Gabe Vincent turned in 15 points, four rebounds and one block. Duncan Robinson delivered 13 points, two assists and one rebound. Bam Adebayo posted 11 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Max Strus totaled 10 points, three assists and one rebound.
The series shifts back to Boston for Monday night's decisive Game 7.