The Boston Celtics were able to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Finals when they defeated the Miami Heat, 116-99, in Game 4 after facing a potential sweep.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, as no NBA team has ever won a series after being down 3-0 earlier. However, Celtics stars Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart warned the Heat before Game 4, saying, «Don’t let us win tonight.»
They backed him up, and one of the main reasons was a good start to the second half.
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Jaylen Brown #7 of the Boston Celtics controls the ball ahead of Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat during the second quarter of game four of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Kaseya Center on May 23, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
A heated third quarter saw the Celtics win the frame by a 15-point margin after being down 56-50 at halftime. They kept the momentum going in the fourth and the series will now return to Boston for Game 5 on Thursday night.
Jayson Tatum, who struggled in Game 3 from the field, did much better with the ball in his hands in this one. He was a key reason the Celtics came back, making 6-of-8 shots to help Boston to 14-of-22 from the field in the third quarter.
On the other hand, the Heat couldn’t match that offensive production, as they went 7-for-21 in the third.
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Miami has shown their ability to bounce back in the fourth quarter, which they did in Game 2 of this series to upset the Celtics, but Boston learned from that mistake. They won the quarter 28-20 and avoided a season-ending loss for the time being.
Tatum finished the game with 34 points on 14-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point ground, while collecting 11 rebounds and dishing out seven assists. He also provided a steal and two blocks on the defensive side of the ball.
Malcolm Brogdon #13 of the Boston Celtics passes Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat during the second quarter of game four of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Kaseya Center on May 23, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
All of the Celtics’ starters had double-digit points, including Brown (16) and Smart (11). Derrick White (16) and Al Horford (12) also hit three 3-pointers each.
Grant Williams was also able to add 14 points off the bench for Boston while adding six boards and two assists.
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Jimmy Butler was the Heat’s leading scorer with 29 points, 10 of which came in the charity strip. He had nine rebounds to lead the team as well.
Gabe Vincent had 17 points while Caleb Martin had 16 off the bench for Miami.
The Heat were inefficient from beyond the arc, which is uncharacteristic of them this postseason. They shot just 25% with 8 of 32 3-pointers made.
Jayson Tatum #0 of the Boston Celtics advances ahead of Caleb Martin #16 of the Miami Heat during the second quarter of game four of the Eastern Conference Finals at the Kaseya Center on May 23, 2023 in Miami, Florida. (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
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Game 5 will kick off in Boston at 8:30 pm ET, where the Denver Nuggets, who swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals, continue to wait for their NBA Finals opponent.