8-seeded Heat take Game 2 on road to take commanding ECF lead over favorite Celtics
The series now heads to Miami with Heat up 2-0
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jimmy Butler scored 27 points, hitting a pair of buckets to give the Heat the lead after they erased a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit and Miami beat Boston 111-105 on Friday night to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
Bam Adebayo had 22 points, 17 rebounds and nine assists, and Caleb Martin came off the bench to score 25 points for No. 8 seed Miami, which won twice in Boston to earn a chance to complete the sweep at home.
Game 3 is Sunday.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Jayson Tatum had 34 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for Boston. But the Celtics star went 0 for 3 with two turnovers in the fourth quarter, when Boston blew an 89-77 lead en route to a second home loss in three nights. Jaylen Brown scored 16 points on 7-for-23 shooting; he went 1 for 5 with a turnover in the final quarter, when Miami outscored Boston 36-22.
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Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 19, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
The Celtics led by 11 in the third quarter and made it a dozen early in the fourth. It was a 96-87 Boston lead when Butler scored, going forehead-to-forehead with Grant Williams before hitting the free throw to complete the three-point play.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Butler sneered at Williams' attempt to get him off his game with words, and after Tatum missed from long distance, Butler drove to the basket to make it a four-point game.
Miami erased it.
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat looks on during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 19, 2023, in Boston, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Miami trailed 98-96 when Butler was called for an offensive foul, kicking Marcus Smart after landing on a missed 3-pointer.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra challenged, but lost.
Butler responded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He made a 17-footer to tie it 100-all, and then a short fadeaway to give Miami the lead. After Max Strus made one of two free throws, Adebayo scored on a putback dunk to make it 105-100 with less than a minute to play.
Boston used a 21-2 run to turn an eight-point, first-quarter deficit into an 11-point lead.
Jimmy Butler #22 of the Miami Heat reacts during the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics in game two of the Eastern Conference Finals at TD Garden on May 19, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TIP-INS
Brown was 1 for 7 in the first quarter, when Tatum scored 12. Derrick White, who made a single 3-pointer, was the only player other than Tatum who scored more than 2 points in the first. … Adebayo and Butler each grabbed five rebounds in the first quarter. … Lowry and Grant Williams did a little shoving after Williams fouled Adebayo with nine minutes left in the second quarter, with no repercussions.