Celtics beat the Heat as a storm rages in Washington, D.C.

The Celtics won the game on a last-second tip-in by rookie Payton Pritchard.

Despite the high-level play from both teams in one of the better games of the 2020-21 NBA season, the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat were, as all of us were, deeply affected by the days events heading into their Jan. 6 contest at the Heat’s home arena.

They perhaps found refuge from the storm that was the riots in Washington D.C. as pro-Trump supporters sought to prevent the peaceful transfer of power for the first time in U.S. history, choosing to play in spite of the historic tumult, issuing a joint statement before the game. The somber aftermath of the day’s events saturated the game, with both teams speaking about it before and after the game, taking knees in solidarity before tipoff.

Once the ball was in the air, both the Heat and the Celtics threw their all into it, transporting us back to the East Finals as if this was but a long-delayed Game 7.

In this game however, the momentum favored the Celtics as their two star wings Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum powered the team to the cusp of a win sealed by the late heroics of rookie Payton Pritchard, unfazed by the moment.

It was, as basketball often is for many of us on a more discrete level, the calm in the eye of the storm for that evening. Calm before the hard work of putting the shattered events of the day back together in something resembling normalcy again that lie ahead for us all.

Boston managed their 107 – 105 win with 27 points and 5 rebounds from Tatum, and 21 points, 12 boards and 5 assists from Brown, with center Daniel Theis putting up 13 points and 5 rebounds as well.

Pritchard may have only managed 6 points, as many boards and 4 assists in his 20 minutes of play, but his last-second game-winner was one for the ages in just the ninth game of his young career.

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Heat, Celtics release joint statement on D.C. violence ahead of game