The Boston Celtics bounced back in a major way on Thursday night, as they cruised to a dominant 127-102 win over the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Celtics have now stolen home-court advantage and tied the series, 1-1. Game 3 is set for Saturday night back in Boston.
Early on it was all Heat, as they jumped out to a double-digit lead. That turned out to be the high-point of the night for them, however, as the Celtics flipped the game on its head, went on a 17-0 run and had a double-digit lead of their own by the end of the first quarter. They pulled away in the second quarter to take a 25-point lead into the break and the game was never in doubt again. Jayson Tatum led the way with 27 points, five rebounds and five assists, while Jaylen Brown went for 24 points and eight rebounds.
Marcus Smart, meanwhile, returned from a foot injury that kept him out of Game 1 to put up 24 points, nine rebounds, 12 assists and three steals. The Celtics had another great shooting performance, and went 20 of 40 from 3-point land.
New ESPN story: In a rapid reversal, Al Horford went from doubtful to available for the Celtics in a matter of hours, as he and Marcus Smart will return tonight for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals as Boston looks to even the series at a win apiece. https://t.co/5W5CvkovyH
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 19, 2022
Goran Dragić and his son on hand last night for Heat Celtics Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Son wearing Dad’s former #7 Miami jersey. #heatculture #nba #NBAPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/MZQxngenVG
— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) May 18, 2022