The Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder emerged victorious in their respective NBA playoff games on Wednesday, setting the stage for thrilling series ahead.
In the Eastern Conference, the eighth-seeded Miami Heat stunned the top-seeded Boston Celtics 111-101 in game two of their series, tying it at 1-1. The Heat, playing without the injured Jimmy Butler, put on a gritty performance, led by a balanced offensive effort. Tyler Herro paced Miami with 24 points, while Caleb Martin added 21 and Bam Adebayo contributed 21. The key to the Heat’s victory was their accuracy from long range, as they drained a franchise playoff record 23 three-pointers from 43 attempts. Herro knocked down six threes, while Martin added five and Jaime Jaquez Jr. hit three.
The Celtics, led by Jaylen Brown’s 33 points and Jayson Tatum’s 28, were unable to match Miami’s three-point shooting, making only 12 of 32 attempts from beyond the arc. The win was a significant upset for the Heat, who had suffered a 20-point loss to Boston in game one on Sunday. Herro said after the game that the defeat had motivated the Heat to respond strongly in game two.
Meanwhile, in the Western Conference, the Oklahoma City Thunder took a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans with a convincing 124-92 victory. The Thunder dominated from the opening quarter, holding a double-digit advantage throughout the game. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for Oklahoma City with 33 points, shooting 13-of-19 from the field. Chet Holmgren added 26 points, while Jalen Williams chipped in with 21. The Thunder’s victory was in stark contrast to game one, which was a closely contested affair that Oklahoma City won 94-92.
Gilgeous-Alexander said the Thunder’s goal is to improve with each game of the series. “Within a seven-game series, we’ve just got to take it day by day and try to get better every day. And I think that’s what we did tonight. We definitely had a better performance than we did in game one and that’s our goal. So we’ll take it.”
The Eastern Conference series between the Heat and Celtics shifts to Miami for game three on Saturday, while the Thunder head to New Orleans for game three of their series against the Pelicans, also on Saturday.
