Boston Celtics drop Game 1 in overtime as Miami Heat win 117-114

The Boston Celtics stumbled late in overtime to see the Miami Heat take a 1-0 series lead with a 117-114 Game 1 win.

The Boston Celtics came out guns ablaze against the Miami Heat, wasting no time attacking the Heat from the moment they gained possession.

Miami won the tip, but the Celtics’ defense made life miserable for the Heat, Boston jumping out to am 8-14 lead behind early offense from Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum.

A Kemba Walker jumper and another Tatum 3 would push the lead to 11 as Miami’s offense started showing signs of life…just as Boston’s went supernova.

A trey from Kendrick Nunn calmed Boston down a bit, and Miami cut the lead to six off of a Goran Dragic layup. Jaylen Brown got himself to the line, converting both, to carry a 26-18 lead into the second.

Tatum nailed another 3-pointer to start the second frame, and Brad Wanamaker got on the board soon after. The two teams traded makes for the next several possessions, Boston hanging on to its multiple-possession lead throughout.

A 9-2 run sparked by Dragic was capped by a 3 from Andre Iguodala, forcing a Celtics timeout. Miami cut the lead to two with a 3 from Duncan Robinson, and Jimmy Butler would take a 39-38 lead with six to play in the half.

A Wanamaker floater would wrest the lead back, and the teams went back to trading buckets until a Bam Adebayo jumper gave the Heat a five-point lead. Smart and Brown cut the lead to two, and a trey from Brown would send the game into the break tied at 55.

The penultimate frame began with Crowder converting what could have been a jump ball off a miss into a layup, and Butler would extend the lead to five. A pair of treys from Smart and Walker would take the lead back, but not for long.

Yet again, the teams traded blows until Boston got some separation off of a Kelly Olynyk technical foul, the Celtics going up 74-69 with just under two minutes left in the frame.

Boston added to its lead with a 3 from Tatum, and another from Grant Williams gave the Cs their largest lead at nine points. Walker would get to the line, fouled shooting a 3-pointer and sending Boston into the fourth 83-71.

Walker would hit a jumper to open the fourth, Dragic cutting the lead to 85-77. The Celts came back with a 4-0 run to push the lead to 92-82 with 8:19 left to play. Dragic and Adebayo sparked a 5-0 lead to cut the lead to four points with 6:30 to go, the Celtics calling another time out up 94-90.

A quick foul on Dragic out of the timeout would see the Heat call one of their own as they challenged the foul of Walker shooting a 3. The challenge was successful, and Hierro sent Walker to the line with 3:30 to play to put Boston up six and triggering a Miami timeout.

Hierro hit a 3 out of the break to cut it to a single possession, but Theis hit back with a quick make. Butler hit a 3 with 22 seconds to go to put Miami up 1, Boston calling a timeout. Derrick Jones Jr. fouled away from the ball out of the timeout, Tatum making one of two to send the game to overtime.

Butler sent Tatum right back to the line, converting both. Walker scored soon after to give Boston a 110-106 lead, but Dragic got to the line to cut it to two, Theis fouling out. Crowder hit a 3 to take the lead, and an Adebayo dunk put the Heat up 113-110.

Brown came back with a tip-in, but a Walker blocking foul forced a Boston timeout for an unsuccessful coaches’ challenge. The UConn product would hit a clutch jumper with 23 seconds remaining to give Boston a 114-113 lead, but Butler hit back with an and-1 to give Miami a 116-114 lead.

Boston would send Adebayo to the line to convert one, sealing the win for the Heat 117-114.

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