The Boston Celtics entered Sunday night time’s Sport 3 in a gap not like any they’ve confronted previously two postseasons. Having dropped consecutive video games at house to Jimmy Butler and the Miami Warmth, the Celtics took the court docket tonight seeking to keep off the contact of dying for any playoff group — a 0-3 sequence deficit. With their backs towards the wall, the Celtics in the end crumbled. They fell to the Warmth in a blowout, 128-102, and now should turn out to be the primary group in NBA historical past to return again from an 0-3 deficit in the event that they wish to return to the NBA Finals for the second consecutive season.
Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown mixed for 26 factors, and neither made their presence felt tonight. Miami, in the meantime, fired on all cylinders in the way in which they’ve appeared to do all postseason lengthy. Gabe Vincent outpaced Tatum and Brown on his personal, scoring 29 and connecting on six threes. Six Warmth gamers scored in double figures, and as a group, they scorched the nets to the tune of 54% three-point capturing. It was a collective effort, they usually outmatched the Celtics on each ends of the ground.
After struggling by way of one of many worst video games of his season in Sport 3, Brown made an impression early on this recreation. He scored eight factors within the first jiffy, discovering his rhythm with the midrange jumper and produce his customary juice to the Boston offense. His teammates didn’t comply with go well with, nevertheless. The Celtics struggled to take care of management of the ball (six first quarter turnovers) and the Warmth as soon as once more loved scorching capturing from deep (5 threes), and Miami led by eight getting into the second, 30-22.
Halfway by way of the primary quarter, Miami’s Kevin Love appeared to endure an harm and requested Warmth coach Erik Spoelstra to take him out of the sport. Love departed for the locker room after the following timeout and was recognized with a left ankle harm. He was labeled as questionable to return to the sport, and in the end didn’t achieve this.
The Celtics’ outlook worsened within the early minutes of the second quarter. They simply seemed a bit listless, and the Warmth’s scoring tirade confirmed no indicators of slowing down. Miami splashed threes and dominated inside, together with a pair of highlight-reel dunks from Adebayo, and their lead stretched so far as 21 factors. A 9-2 run late within the quarter helped the Celtics keep away from an absolute catastrophe, however they nonetheless entered the halftime break with a variety of questions in want of solutions, trailing 61-46.
If something constructive got here of that late run, it wasn’t evident as play resumed within the third quarter. The Warmth rattled off a 13-2 run early within the quarter, pushing their lead as much as 23 factors. The one strategy to describe Miami’s play towards was “unbothered.” They merely didn’t care about something the Celtics tried to do on both finish of the court docket, and the Celtics more and more seemed to be shedding hope. They allowed the Warmth to eclipse the 30 level mark for the third straight quarter, and trailed by 30 factors, 93-63, heading into what felt like a really lengthy fourth quarter.
Subsequent up, the sequence will keep in Miami, with one other one-day layoff earlier than Sport 4, Tuesday at 8:30 PM on TNT.
