Tatum, Celtics drop Heat
MIAMI — Jayson Tatum had 26 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists and the Boston Celtics withstood a late rally to beat the Miami Heat 110106 on Sunday.
Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points, Jaylen Brown had 20 points and Jrue Holiday scored 15 for Boston, which hit 16 of 39 3point attempts.
The Celtics have won all three matchups with the Heat this season and have won six of the last seven games against them. The loss came in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals last season, when Boston forced the deciding game after losing the first three.
Tyler Herro had 22 of his 24 points in the second half, Bam Adebayo scored 22 and Duncan Robinson and Caleb Martin finished with 15 points each for the Heat.
Miami rallied from a 15point deficit in the third quarter and cut it to 106104 on Herro's 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining. But Porzingis and Tatum each converted two free throws to secure the win.
The Heat were without leading scorer Jimmy Butler, who was granted a leave of absence because of the death of a family member.
Miami lost Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson to injuries. Rozier, who finished with 13 points, landed awkwardly on his right leg after driving to the basket midway through the third quarter.
Richardson exited in the second quarter because of a right shoulder injury. He slumped to the floor in pain after his unsuccessful attempt to strip Tatum of the ball.
Robinson also favored his left shoulder after Brown pushed him off into the stands when both tangled for position early in the fourth quarter. Brown and Robinson exchanged words and Brown was assessed a flagrant 1 foul.