Tyler Herro was unstoppable for the Miami Heat in Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, finishing with 24 points and 14 assists. Herro’s performance, combined with a franchise playoff-record 23 3-pointers, helped the Heat bounce back from a Game 1 blowout and even the series at one game apiece.
Bam Adebayo and Caleb Martin also played key roles for the Heat, each scoring 21 points. Adebayo added 10 rebounds, while Martin’s энергия seemed to energize his teammates.
The Celtics were led by Jaylen Brown’s 33 points, but Jayson Tatum was limited to 28 after suffering a hard foul in Game 1. Tatum started the game strong with 14 points in the first quarter, but he was clearly not at his best and was heartily booed by the Boston crowd every time he touched the ball.
The Heat led by five, 55-50, with two minutes left in the first half before Brown hit three straight 3-pointers to open a four-point lead. Brown missed a 3 the next time down, but his layup in the final seconds made it 61-58 at the half.
Miami came out strong in the second half, going on a 10-0 run to take an 82-70 lead with under four minutes to play in the third. Boston cut it to six, 102-96, with three minutes left, but Martin hit a 3 and the Celtics never got within two possessions again.
The series now shifts to Miami for Games 3 and 4 on Saturday and Monday. The Celtics won 64 games in the regular season to claim home-court advantage through the NBA Finals, but they will need to play better in Miami if they want to take control of the series.
