Celtics complete 19-point comeback, top Heat 119-114

For three quarters, the Celtics looked like they were heading to one of their worst stretches in years, trailing by 19 points to Miami and seemingly destined for their fourth loss in five games. 

And then Anfernee Simons decided January 15 would live in Celtics lore as the Simons game. 

The guard became just the 5th Celtic in franchise history to score 39 points off the bench, igniting a Boston comeback en route to a 119-114 win over the Heat. 

With Miami catching fire from three and a less than subpar defensive performance by Boston’s starters, its bench and its effort was what kept it afloat until Simons decided it was his night. The Celtics scratched and clawed for 31 second-chance points, and set a franchise record with 22 in the first half. 

Heading into Thursday’s game against Miami, the Celtics were fresh off two nights in South Beach. You know what that usually means in the NBA? A slow start — and that’s exactly what happened for what appeared to be a sluggish Boston team. 

Miami raced out to a 27-9 first quarter lead, burying five triples as a team and also ran off a 15-0 run to put the Cs on the ropes early. Boston seemed to be content with the Heat living from deep, and it backfired as Bam Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins and Tyler Herro all hit triples to start the game. 

Down by 19, Joe Mazzulla turned to his bench for a spark, and he found one in Simons. The guard nailed a trio of triples and also got to the line to cut the deficit to 11 coming out of the first quarter break. Luka Garza also showed some early signs of life in an otherwise dead Celtics team, knocking down a straight-away three as well as finishing off a nice feed from Jordan Walsh underneath to rim to end the quarter with five points. 

Now back within striking distance, Jaylen Brown and Boston’s starters weren’t doing themselves any favors. Brown ended the half with just seven points on 3-for-9 shooting, and committed his fourth turnover in just 12 minutes in the beginning stages of the second. 

The Heat — who lead the NBA in pace — took advantage of Boston’s sloppy ball-handling and nine first-half turnovers, scoring 15 fastbreak points. 

But once again, the Celtics’ bench kept them in the game, much to the thanks of their effort. 

Boston recorded 22 second-chance points in the first half, which set the record for most in the first half in franchise history. Garza and Walsh continued to play really well, grabbing three offensive rebounds a piece to keep some pressure on Miami. 

Defensively, the Celtics just couldn’t get a feel for the game as Herro continued to drain threes, scoring eight-straight points on his own. Norman Powell also provided some good offense off the bench, capping off his 11-point first half with a driving dunk to give Miami a 64-54 lead at the half. 

In the third, Boston was able to keep pace with the Heat as Brown finally got going after nearly five days off, scoring 15 in the frame to bring his total to 22. 

While the Celtics did reign in their ball control to a certain extent, Miami still made them pay on multiple occasions, forcing four turnovers and bringing their points off turnover total to 18. 

Simons, just like he did in the first quarter, caught fire offensively at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth. The guard ended the third with 21 points after five quick points to cut the deficit to 93-83. Simons carried it over to the fourth as he swiped a loose ball and displayed a couple elite eurosteps to cut the hole to just four. 

The Celtics continued to lean on Simons as their weapon, and he reached a level not many can. Simons scored 11 straight in the fourth as Boston retook the lead at 101-100 for the first time since the beginning stages of the game. 

Now with a 109-105 lead thanks to a 15-5 run, it was fitting that a second-chance basket was what capped the comeback win. Sam Hauser slipped around the back of the Heat defense to tip in a missed Garza three to extend the Boston lead to six and its biggest comeback win of the year.

The Celtics will continue their Eastern Conference road trip on Saturday when they travel to take on Atlanta. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.