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The short-handed Boston Celtics weren’t able to close out the Miami Heat.
Jaylen Brown (right adductor injury management), Marcus Smart (right ankle sprain), Malcolm Brogdon (personal reasons) and Al Horford (stiff hip) will play Tuesday at Miami-Dade Arena could not participate in Miami was also short-handed with Jimmy Butler (back strain).
Despite the absence of these key players, C is led by a whopping 14 men. That was before Miami won 15-0 in the fourth quarter, keeping Boston out of scoring position for over six minutes of his time. Result: 98-95 heat win.
Celtics star Jayson Tatum had a game-high 31 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists in the game. Derrick White stepped up as the second scorer Boston needed with Brown out as he tallied 23 points.
Bam Adebayo took over in the fourth quarter and finished with 30 points and 15 boards. Heywood Highsmith also scored 15 points off the bench, contributing to Butler’s absence.
The Celtics are home and will face the New York Knicks on Thursday night. Here are some lessons learned from his two-game losing streak for the Cs, who went 35-14 on the season.
4th no flow
The Celtics were on the brink of an impressive short-handed win, with Miami throwing a zone defense in the 4th quarter. That turned out to be too much for Boston to handle.
From that point on, the Heat continued their 15-0 run, keeping the Cs scoreless for over six minutes. Boston finished the quarter with just 13 points.
Celtics interim coach Joe Mazura was never a fan of timeouts, but this was probably an example of when he should have called for one. With 2 down on the C, Mazzulla chose to play it. It didn’t work in C’s favor as Tatum walked the ball up the court and flipped it over to effectively put the nail in the coffin.
The entire quarter was a nightmare for both ends of the Boston floor. He couldn’t figure out Miami’s zone or stop Heat big man Bam Adebayo. These factors (and the factors below) were the difference between a hard-fought victory and a devastating defeat.
Sales turn nasty
The game ended with a Jayson Tatum turnover, a fitting end for a Celtics team that has struggled to care for basketball lately. I’m over.
Tatum showed his scoring prowess as usual, especially when he dropped 21 points in the first half, but his turnovers proved costly. He recorded his game-high seven that night, and his one at the end was his biggest blunder.
The Celtics had 15 turnovers against Toronto and 17 against Golden State. They escaped both games with wins, but higher turnover totals are something to watch going forward.
To add insult to injury, the Heat’s social team trolled C about postgame turnover issues, referencing the infamous Dallas Cowboys tweet after their divisional loss to the San Francisco 49ers. I got
Derrick White steps up as a secondary option
With four key Celtics players missing, including Jaylen Brown, Tatum needed a wingman. Derrick White rose to the occasion.
White dropped 23 points, his highest score since scoring 26 points against the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 18. He also had six assists to make up for Smart’s continued absence and made an impact as a distributor. He did so despite an early foul trouble that limited him to 12 minutes in the first half.
Unfortunately, White ran out of gas in the fourth quarter along with the rest of the C lineup. The ending wasn’t ideal, but it was still a strong showing for a player who has stepped up time and time again for Boston when asked to take on a bigger role.
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