Heat vs. Celtics score, takeaways: Jimmy Butler drops 41 points as Miami pulls away in Game 1 win

The Miami Warmth pulled out a 118-107 win over the Boston Celtics in Sport 1 of the 2022 Japanese Convention finals on Tuesday evening. It was a story of two halves for the Warmth, who got here alive within the third quarter to storm again from an eight-point halftime deficit and proceed to dominate the Celtics for the rest of the sport. Jimmy Butler put up 41 factors, 9 rebounds and 5 assists within the win, whereas Tyler Herro added 18 factors off the bench for the Warmth. 

Miami turned up the strain on protection within the second half, and made life troublesome for Jayson Tatum and Boston. Tatum completed the sport with 29 factors (21 within the first half), whereas Jaylen Brown added 24 factors. Boston actually missed Marcus Good (out with a foot damage) and Al Horford (out in COVID well being and security protocols) on each ends of the ground, and whereas Horford might miss Sport 2 within the league’s protocols, there’s optimism Good might return for Sport 2 from that proper foot sprain.

Listed below are three takeaways from Sport 1 of the Japanese Convention finals between the Warmth and Celtics.

1. Jimmy received buckets

Butler was unstoppable for the whole lot of this recreation, however he actually got here alive within the second half the place he put up 27 of his 41 factors on the evening. He did a whole lot of his harm on the free-throw line, the place he racked up 17 factors, as he excelled at baiting a number of defenders along with his pump faux to get a foul name. However it wasn’t simply Butler’s scoring that made a distinction for the Warmth, he was getting it performed along with his playmaking, rebounding and maybe most significantly his protection.

Butler ended the sport with 4 steals, three of which got here within the third quarter. There was some extent in that quarter the place Butler got here away with back-to-back steals that led to simple fast-break buckets, widening Miami’s lead and leaving the Celtics shellshocked after placing collectively a sterling first-half efficiency. Butler additionally completed with three blocks, the final one among which felt like a press release, as he stuffed Tatum on a nook 3-point try within the closing minutes of the fourth quarter. 

On the possession previous to that, Butler sank a mid-range jumper over Celtics guard Payton Pritchard whereas staring him down whereas working again on protection, as if to say “you possibly can’t guard me.” Butler’s proper, Pritchard, and everybody else Boston tried to stay on him could not include him and it resulted in an explosive efficiency from the Warmth ahead, who now has scored 40 or extra factors 3 times in these playoffs.

2. Boston collapsed within the third quarter

Issues actually fell aside for the Celtics within the third quarter, as they received outscored 39-14 out of halftime after main by eight factors after 24 minutes. Boston was dominating the sport by means of two quarters, as Tatum labored as much as 21 first-half factors, the Celtics generated 42 factors within the paint, and racked up 17 assists, displaying nice ball motion to start out the sport. However all of that first-half success flew out the window, and never solely did the Warmth shut the hole within the third quarter, they fully steamrolled them and labored up a 20-point lead.

Credit score Miami’s protection, because the Warmth suffocated Tatum and shut down Boston’s offense virtually as quickly because it received previous half courtroom, however a few of it additionally needed to do with psychological errors from the Celtics. Tatum racked up six turnovers within the third quarter, as he went away from what labored for him by means of the primary half and began to depend on foul searching to get his factors. It resulted in simply 5 factors from the famous person ahead, who struggled to search out his shot once more after a scorching begin to the sport. 

However the blame cannot be solely positioned on Tatum’s shoulders for that third-quarter efficiency. For 3 quarters of the sport Brown was primarily a non-factor, and whereas he completed the evening with 24 factors, most of that manufacturing got here within the fourth quarter when the Warmth had been already comfortably forward. 

The Celtics cannot afford to have Brown come alive when the sport is virtually out of attain, particularly when the group is down two starters in Good and Horford. Whereas Brown put up 15 fourth-quarter factors to assist stage a comeback try, it was too little too late for his heroics. Boston wanted that manufacturing within the third quarter when Tatum was getting swarmed and nobody else might generate factors. If Brown had a much bigger third quarter than simply the 2 factors and 0 for 4 from the sector that he produced, maybe Boston would not dig itself right into a 20-point deficit and it might’ve had an actual shot on the finish of the sport. 

3. Vincent stepped up in Lowry’s absence 

One of many main storylines for the Warmth heading into Sport 1 was how this group would deal with enjoying towards a protection just like the Celtics with out their place to begin guard in Kyle Lowry, who’s coping with a hamstring damage. Whereas Miami had gone 6-0 within the earlier video games that Lowry sat within the playoffs, the group had but confronted an opponent as dominant and versatile because the Celtics. 

Effectively clearly that wasn’t an enormous concern, as Gabe Vincent put collectively a powerful efficiency and completed the sport with 17 factors, three assists, three blocks and two rebounds whereas taking pictures 50 % from the sector and 43 % from deep. His third-quarter efficiency was one of many causes the Warmth managed to work up such an enormous lead, as he put up 10 factors whereas enjoying all 12 minutes within the third quarter. 

It is not solely shocking to see Vincent make an affect for the Warmth, given he confirmed some flashes of this within the second spherical towards the 76ers, however I think about not many predicted that he could be the second-leading scorer among the many starters for the Warmth tonight. It is unclear when Lowry might be again for the Warmth on this collection, however within the meantime, Vincent has proven that he can fill in for him when wanted.