Butler Expected To Play Tonight
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
By Shara Talia Taylor
Photo: Special to the NY Beacon
The Miami Heat brought fire against the Boston Celtics in a 109-103 victory Saturday night for Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals.
The teams were tied 1-1 in the series after the Heat suffered a 25-point loss in Game 2, but Miami bounced back with energy to start Game 3 that continued throughout game. The shuffling of players made a difference on the court with the addition of Kyle Lowery to the lineup as Bam Adebayo took charge, even without Jimmy Butler in the second half of the game.
“The first half had been brutal for us in both of these games,” Butler said after Game 2. “We just got to come out and play harder from the jump.”
The teams were tied 1-1 in the series after the Heat suffered a 25-point loss in Game 2, but Miami bounced back with energy to start Game 3 that continued throughout game. The shuffling of players made a difference on the court with the addition of Kyle Lowery to the lineup as Bam Adebayo took charge, even without Jimmy Butler in the second half of the game.
“The first half had been brutal for us in both of these games,” Butler said after Game 2. “We just got to come out and play harder from the jump.”
The Heat did just that for Game 3. Adebayo stepped up and led the Heat with 31 points in Game 3, a huge change after scoring only six points in Game 2. Max Strus added 16 points and Lowery added 11.
Lowery returned to play after sitting out with an injury in Games 1 and 2. He joined Adebayo, Strus, Pj Tucker and Butler in the starting lineup. Miami led 39-18 at the end of the first quarter. Boston tried to close the gap before half time as they outscored the Heat 29-23, but the Heat kept the lead and went to halftime ahead 62-47. Butler did not return to game after second half due to knee inflammation, per the team’s tweet. The Heat intensified play and tied the Celtics in points 25-25 in the third quarter, but kept the lead
87-72. The Celtics fought harder bringing the score within a 1-point game, 93-92, with 2:36 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, but Miami remained defensive.
It was a tough loss for the Celtics, but not effortless. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 40 points. The Celtics out rebounded the Heat 44-34. Marcus Smart left at the beginning of the third quarter when he was injured after entangling with Lowery when they jumped for the ball. Smart rolled his right ankle, but returned to play.
The Heat, however was more competitive. Miami had 19 steals compared to the Celtics 2. The Celtics had 23 turnovers versus only 8 for the Heat.
The teams meet again in Boston for game 4 tonight.
