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After a hot start to begin the game leading by ten in the first quarter of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the Miami Heat fell into a hole and couldn’t recover in Thursday night’s 127-102 loss to the Boston Celtics. Boston evens the series 1-1 for this best of seven series.
1-1 pic.twitter.com/GXqHRqssec
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 20, 2022
Main Takeaways for the Heat
Coming of a Game 1 victory, the Heat looked to continue its success heading into Game 2. The Boston Celtics responded however in a decisive victory to even the series. The Heat looked as if they had picked up where they left off in the start of the first quarter, taking a 10 point lead to begin the game. The Celtics quickly recovered however, outscoring the Heat 60-21 in the next 18 minutes and taking a 70-45 lead at halftime.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) May 20, 2022
Jimmy Butler had another stellar performance in the playoffs, finishing the night with 29 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. However, his efforts were not enough for the Heat to come back. In the third quarter, starting power forward PJ Tucker left the game with a left-knee contusion and would not return. The Heat went on to lose the game 127-102, evening the series at 1-1.
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had this to say following the Heat’s Game 2 loss:
This only counts as one. That’s what the experienced players in the locker room and staff understand. We don’t like it. They played extremely well. You have two really good teams and we just have to figure some things out.
Miami travels to Boston where the Heat will look to bounce back and take the lead in the series.
Celtics Roll Away
After missing Game 1, Marcus Smart and Al Horford had a significant impact in the Celtics’ victory. Smart finished the game with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Celtics’ stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown had a standout performances. Tatum led the team with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Jaylen Brown had 24 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists.
The Celtics were lights out throughout the night, shooting 51% from the field and 50% from three-point range. With a Game 2 victory on the road, Boston will look to use this momentum at home in Game 3 to take the lead in the series.
We got our team back intact with the return of both Horford and Smart and grabbed a big win over the Heat. pic.twitter.com/Wy94Ckl88o
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 20, 2022
Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals will take place Saturday in Boston with the series tied 1-1.
