Celtics dismantle Heat with 104-84 win in Game 3
On Saturday night the Boston Celtics faced off against the Miami Heat in game 3 of their Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series. The two teams headed into the game tied with one win a piece.
First half:
The Celtics started off slow in the first half of the game, and only managed to score 21 points heading into the second quarter. But, in the second quarter the team erupted for 42 points and took a 63-39 point lead into the break.
Jayson Tatum led the game with 15 points while shooting 4/9, with 6 rebounds and 4 assists at halftime. But not only was Tatum having himself a game, but so was Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick White.
With Porzingis, the Latvian big-man already surpassed his game 2 performance, in which he finished with 6 points while shooting 1/9 from the field, by exploding for 12 points on 4/5 shooting from the field at the break.
Derrick White on the other hand has been a huge boost for the team when it comes to offensive rebounds. White went into halftime with 12 points and 4 rebounds, but 3 of them resulted in second chance points for the Celtics.
The Celtics did not only find their offensive stride again, but the team returned to form on the defensive side of the game as well. The Celtics held the Heat to a 36% field goal percentage and managed to out rebound the Heat 27-15 at halftime.
Second Half:
The Celtics continued their dominant play in the second half, as they never allowed the lead to drop below 20 points for the entirety of the third quarter as they finished with a 87-61 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter started off the same as the past two, as the Celtics pushed the teams lead to 29 with seven minutes remaining in the game.
Jayson Tatum continued his stellar performance in the second half and finished the contest with finished with a team high 22 points, along with 9 rebounds, and 7 assists.
The team never looked back after the first quarter, and this win once again gives the Celtics home court advantage for the rest of the series.
Game 4 will be held on Monday, April 29th in Miami.
