BOSTON (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, including 20 after halftime, and the Miami Heat rallied in the second half to beat the Boston Celtics 123-116 on Wednesday in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Eastern Conference.
Miami trailed by nine at the half before turning it around with a franchise playoff-record 46 points in the third and outscoring Boston 66-50 in the final two quarters. It was Butler’s fifth game with 30 or more points this postseason, and he had seven assists, six steals and five rebounds.
Bam Adebayo added 20 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus each added 15 points. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the 3-point line.
the no The 8-seeded Heat have opened all three playoff series with road wins. Game 2 is Friday in Boston.
Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points, but didn’t shoot in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points.
The Celtics, who are at their best when defending and shooting more than their opponents, were 10-of-29 from beyond the arc.
Wednesday’s series opener marked the third time in four seasons that the Heat and Celtics have met in the conference finals. Boston won last year’s matchup in seven games.
Wednesday’s opener felt like a continuation of that most recent meeting. Boston dominated on the inside from the start and led by nine at halftime.
Spoelstra said his team was “more intentional” during the last 24 minutes.
Miami took a page from the Celtics’ book and used a 13-1 run to quickly erase that gap and then moved back in front in the third quarter as Butler penetrated to create chances for his teammates.
2023-05-18 10:08:46
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