Heat top Celtics; Butler ailing

Bam Adebayo scored 31 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and the visiting Heat overcame the secondhalf absence of Jimmy Butler (inflammation in right knee) to earn a 109-103 victory against the Celtics and grab a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

Butler scored eight points on 3-for-8 shooting in the first half, after which the Heat led 62-47. But Jaylen Brown, who scored 40 points, sparked a rally that got the Celtics as close as a point in the fourth quarter.