NBA: Boston Celtics overcome a late surge to hold Miami Heat at 112-107
"We still have a long way to go to be the team we want to be."
That had been the mantra after a stunning loss at the hands of Utah Jazz in Miami’s last game and it looks like they have to start the chorus again as Miami Heat lost their second game in a row to Boston Celtics this season.
Ray Allen nailed in seven out of nine from outside the arc and pinned two crucial free throws in the dying seconds of the match as the Boston Celtics kept their nerves to fight off a comeback down the stretch from the Heats.
First Half
The Celtics entered the match with all guns blazing as they started to overwhelm the Heats from the very beginning and raced to 14-5 advantage within the first four minutes of the match. Rajon Rondo flew to the basket and took off for a spectacular dunk, totally uncontested, to make it 20-10 for his team for a move which epitomized the story of the game.
The Celtics continued to press hard on the Miami defence with their accurate shooting in the second quarter as well. Miami was clearly struggling as their offense was caught off-guard by the Boston defence, which forced the Heats out of their normal sets.
The Celtics allowed very few uncontested shots to the Heats and slashed many scoring opportunities.
Miami struggled on the field, shooting just 40 percent in the first half; meanwhile, the Boston Celtics were hitting the pace at above 60 percent, including 6 of 10 on three-pointers.
Ray Allen scored 18 points with 7-for-9 shooting and Paul Pierce nailed 13 points as Boston led the Heats 61-47 going into the second half.
Second Half
The Celtics stamped their authority on the match at the start of the second half as they went on an 11-4 run within the first four minutes to gain a 20-point advantage at 72-52. The Heats, though, rallied back somewhat, scoring the next six points and managing to cut the deficit to 10 points going into the final period.
Miami continued to claw back at the Celtics in the fourth but the Celtics had all their bases covered. Chris Bosh made a layup shot to make it a seven point game but Paul Pierce and Ray Allen responded right back with two crucial shots to restore the Celtics advantage.
The Celtics were sitting pretty at 110-99 with 2:51 left but the Heats gave them a run for their money as they reeled off an 8-0 run to come within striking distance at 110-107 with 13.3 left on the clock.
Ray Allen kept his composure, though, as he converted two free throws in the dying seconds to ensure a victory for the Celtics.
Stats
Ray Allen was the star of the show for the Celtics as he finished with 35 points while Paul Pierce also netted 25. Rajon Rondo finished with a match-high 16 assists and Kevin Garnett had 16 points and 13 rebounds for Boston.
Miami had a disappointing outing as they failed to go into the lead even once in the match. Dwyane Wade, who has led the Miami charge all season, had an off day as he could only score 8 points. LeBron James scored 35 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists as he narrowly missed his second straight triple-double. Udonis Haslem chipped in with 21 points and 10 rebounds and Chris Bosh had 15 points.
Miami improved their shooting to 60 percent in the second half as they tried to rally back but couldn’t find a way to beat the Boston Celtics.
Tags: