The Boston Celtics clearly had a chip on their shoulder coming into their Game 1 matchup with the Miami Heat in the 2024 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on Sunday afternoon. The Celtics put up 14 straight unanswered points to start the game against the team that ended their season in the 2023 East Finals.
But the Heat battled back to cut the lead to 3 by the start of the second frame, only to see the Celtics ramp up their defense while pushing the lead back to double-digits in a blur as Sam Hauser punished Miami off the bench. Boston came out aggressive on offense to start the third frame that would grow into a 32-point lead.
A concerning dropoff in effort level in the waning moments of the final frame injected a little unnecessary drama into the game by dredging up old bad habits. But Boston dialed in and won the game handily, closing out Game 1 to earn a 114-94 win and a 1-0 series lead.
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A triple-double from Jayson Tatum (23 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) led the Celtics. Derrick White (20 points), Kristaps Porzingis (18 points), and Jaylen Brown (17 points, 8 boards) all having good nights in a game that saw six Celtics players score in double figures.
The Celtics next play the Heat on Wednesday, April 24 at TD Garden for Game 2 of their first round series with Miami.
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