Celtics fall behind early and never recover in 112-106 loss to Heat
The Celtics fell behind early and never fully recovered against the Miami Heat, falling 112-106 on Tuesday night in the Orlando bubble. Jayson Tatum led the C’s with 23 points in the losing effort.
Miami got off to a quick lead in the first quarter, powered by eight points from former Celtic Jae Crowder and seven from Goran Dragic. The Celtics kept it within five points after one thanks to 14 combined points from Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
Tyler Herro came off the bench for the Heat and scored 11 points in the second quarter alone, which helped the Heat extend their lead to 12 by halftime, 61-53. Dragic continued lighting up the scoreboard off the bench and finished with 20 points of his own.
Heat forward Derrick Jones Jr. (5) makes a pass against the Celtics’ Brad Wanamaker and Jayson Tatum at the Visa Athletic Center in the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Tatum got into foul trouble during the game, which limited his minutes. Marcus Smart fouled out in the third quarter and appeared furious with the officials. Smart was recently fined $15,000 for criticizing the officiating after a loss to the Bucks.
Three Heat players (Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson) finished with over 20 points in the win. Adebayo also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
Up Next: The Celtics have a back-to-back as they will try to get back to winning on Wednesday against the Brooklyn Nets.
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