Celtics stumble in playoffs against Heat – OKC clearly ahead
April 25, 2024, 6:33 a.m
The two number one teams in the Western and Eastern Conference of the NBA experience very different evenings in game two. The Oklahoma City Thunder overwhelm their opponents – the Celtics stumble.
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) scores a dunk against the Miami Heat during the first half of Game 2 of the NBA Basketball Playoff first-round series. © Charles Krupa/AP
The Miami Heat returned in the playoff series against the Boston Celtics and beat the favorites on the road. Three days after the opening loss, Miami won 111:101 and set a franchise record. The Heat have never made 23 three-pointers in a playoff game.
Miami beat the Celtics with a tactic that the hosts usually like to use. The Celtics were the second-best NBA team in three-pointers in the main round. In the second home game, the hosts only scored 12 of 32 attempts and are now under pressure ahead of the upcoming games in Miami.
The best thrower of the evening was Jaylen Brown with 33 points followed by Jayson Tatum with 28 points. Tyler Herro was the most successful for the Heat with 24 points and hit six three-pointers. «We just couldn’t get them to reject it. “We often had good defense, but they had a record-breaking night,” said Brown after the surprising defeat. The Celtics had the best record of all teams in the main round. Miami only got into the playoffs through the play-in. A team needs four wins to advance to the second round.
The Oklahoma City Thunder did not show any weakness in the Western Conference. The number one seeded team defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 124:92 and now leads the series 2-0. OKC took the lead early in the first quarter and never relinquished it after that. “We were ready,” said Chet Holmgren. He had a strong evening with 26 points and 7 rebounds, only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was even more successful with 33 points.
© dpa