What a game. The Boston Celtics went on a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter. Then the Miami Heat answered with a 10-0 run to tie it with 13 seconds left in the game. Unfortunately, Celtics guard Payton Pritchard tipped in the layup with 0.2 seconds to close it. With the loss, Miami falls to 3-4 for the season.
With that said, here are my takeaways from the game.
Butler continues to play well
One of the reasons why Miami came back into the game was Jimmy Butler. With Miami trailing by as many as 17 points, the Heat all-star took control of the offense. Butler put his head down and kept attacking the basket. He either got fouled or made a bucket. His aggressiveness also allowed Duncan Robinson to get back into the groove. When Butler is aggressive, Miami is a much better team.
Butler finished with 26 points and seven rebounds.
Duncan makes history
Speaking of Robinson, this was a historic night for the Heat forward. With his second three-pointer of the night, Robinson became the fastest player in league history to make 300 threes in 95 games. The next fastest player, Damian Lillard, only took 117 games to accomplish that feat. The forward also went on a personal 7-0 run in the last minute of the game to answer Boston’s 13-0 run.
Robinson finished the night with 16 points and six rebounds.
Same lineup
For the first time this season, the Heat opened with the same lineup as the previous game. That kept Kelly Olynyk as the starting power forward, after giving Andre Iguodala and Meyers Leonard chances at the spot. Even though the team started two bigs, they still struggled to protect the paint. Boston took advantage of that early.
It also hurts when Miami’s bigs have fewer rebounds than the guards. Getting defensive stops are very important.
Up next: The Washington Wizards on Saturday. The game tips off at 7 pm eastern.
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Main Image Credit: https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/2021/01/07/celtics-payton-pritchard-buzzer-beating-shot/
