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[Boston Celtics]

Miami extinguishes Boston’s winning streak, Celtics lose 124-103 vs. Heat

The Heat snap the Celtics' nine-game winning steak in blowout fashion.

Coming off an undefeated 6-0 west coast road trip the Celtics returned home to face off against the Miami Heat who are in the midst of a five game winning streak. With two hot teams, it was Miami that snapped Boston’s winning streak as the Celtics lost 124-103.

Jaylen Brown led the way for the Celtics with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 assists on 10-20 shooting but it wasn’t enough to stop the Heat as Tyler Herro led the Heat with 25 points, 9 assists, and 6 rebounds on 7-18 shooting. Herro wasn’t the only Miami player to go off as they had seven players finish with double digit points as Boston couldn’t slow them down with Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis out.

This is the sixth time this season the Celtics have lost their first home game coming back from a road trip as the intensity level was lacking. Boston did a great job of rebounding the ball and getting second chance points but just couldn’t find their three ball as they shot 28% from three as a team.

The Celtics scoring started with one of the best two man pick and roll duos in the NBA as Jayson Tatum found Luke Kornet for an easy layup. Kornet continued to score for the Celtics as Boston scored their first 10 points in the paint while Tyler Herro was the main catalyst for the Heat’s offense as both teams traded baskets.

Luuuuuuuuuke ️ pic.twitter.com/qaUM9vrf0C

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 2, 2025​

Boston’s three point shooting started really slow however and Miami went on a 9-2 run to open up a small lead as the Celtics trailed 29-22 after the first quarter. The Celtics shot 2-12 from three in the quarter and it really slowed their offense down. Kornet led Boston with 10 points and 3 rebounds while Herro led Miami with 8 points. The Celtics did have 11 second chance points which was a byproduct of their tenacious efforts on the offensive glass.

The Celtics offense continued to be ice cold to start the second quarter with Tatum on the bench as the Heat opened up a double digit lead. Frustration started to boil over on the Celtics sideline as after a missed foul call on Luke Kornet and an 8-2 run by Miami, Joe Mazzulla received a technical foul for arguing with the ref.

That seemed to light a little bit of a spark for the team as Derrick White made a couple of fantastic plays in a row. After hitting a fadeaway jumper, White blocked Bam Adebayo on a 2 on 1 fast break and found Payton Pritchard for a corner three after some elite ball movement.

This sequence >>> pic.twitter.com/4uNq68xH4T

— Boston Celtics (@celtics) April 3, 2025​

After a Miami timeout the Celtics started to hit a couple shots but couldn’t cut into the Heat’s double digit lead. Luke Kornet received his third foul of the game early in the quarter and the Celtics decided to run a small ball lineup that the Heat were just picking apart.

Boston went on a 15-6 run to cut the Heat’s lead to 9 points towards the end of the quarter but a Haywood Highsmith buzzer beater three gave Miami a 59-45 lead going into halftime. The Celtics shooting woes continued as they finished the half shooting 37% from the field and 17% from three. Jayson Tatum especially struggled as he only scored 8 points on 1-8 shooting.

The third quarter started with much of the same in both sides as the Heat started the quarter on a 14-7 run and opened up a 20+ point lead as the Celtics continued to miss shots. Pele Larrsson started to dominate for Miami as he hit three shots in a row as the Celtics small lineup could not stop the Heat from getting whatever they wanted.

However, Jaylen Brown started to heat up as he scored 10 points as a part of a 20-6 run got the Celtics back in the game and cut Miami’s lead to single digits and forced the Heat to call a timeout.

A Jaylen Brown three caps off a Celtics 14-1 run, and JB tells Spoelstra he needs to call a time out. pic.twitter.com/GD4hWohsT9

— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) April 3, 2025​

The run continued as Tatum started to find his shot with a layup and found Baylor Scheierman for a no-dip corner three to make it a 3 point game with 4:28 left. Miami responded 5 straight points but Brown continued his hot quarter with an and-1 midrange jumper.

Davion Mitchell started to swing momentum for Miami as he not only scored to make it a double digit game again, he also forced Tatum into an offensive foul. Tatum was naturally upset with the bad call and called for another technical foul for clapping, his 14th tech this season.

After Kyle Anderson went on another small run for Miami, the Celtics trailed the Heat 91-81 going into the fourth quarter. Boston shot the ball a lot better in the third quarter, shooting 58% from the field and 54% from three. Brown finished the quarter with 13 points and 5 rebounds on 5-7 shooting as his contributions kept Boston in the game.

The fourth quarter began with Sam Hauser walking into a pull up three and Neemias Queta forcing an and-1 layup as Boston tried to mount a comeback. Kyle Anderson continued to torment Boston however as he scored 6 points to begin the quarter to match every Celtics basket.

Midway through the quarter the Celtics offense went cold once again at the worst time as another Davion Mitchell three put the Heat up 15 with five minutes left in the game. That was when the Celtics waived the white flag and put in the stay ready and ending their 9 game winning streak.

The Celtics next game is on Friday April 4th where they face off against the Phoenix Suns.

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/2025/4/...eak-celtics-lose-vs-heat-jaylen-brown-124-103

 

[Boston Celtics]

10 takeaways from the Heat outpacing and outshooting the Celtics

Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Miami found its rhythm through smart pick-and-roll play, relentless energy, and elite shot-making. Boston had bright spots, but couldn’t keep pace physically or defensively without its key veterans.

#1 - Boston drop coverage​

The first eight points from the Miami Heat were generated from pick-and-roll actions involving Luke Kornet. His defensive assignment was to stay low after the screen, giving Tyler Herro space to either gain speed to drive or pull up for a mid-range shot.

While the analytical approach made sense—since long mid-range shots are the least efficient type—leaving one of the best shooters in the league free to get to his spot so easily can be problematic. Miami’s offense generated a lot of shots in the short mid-range and was highly accurate from this zone (56% field goal on 27 attempts).

From these actions, Herro also drew fouls as the defense collapsed on him when he entered the paint, giving the Heat easy points. Overall, the Heat drew 13 shooting fouls—far more than the Celtics’ four.

When the Heat ball-handlers weren’t shooting or drawing fouls to punish the drop coverage, they could also turn to Bam Adebayo’s mid-range game. The pick-and-pop is a great alternative to beat drop coverage.

Later in the game, the Celtics decided to change their pick-and-roll coverage to put more pressure on the ball handler, but Adebayo is such a good connector that the Heat offense still functioned well out of these actions.

Overall, without Jrue Holiday, Al Horford, and Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics had a hard time containing Miami’s pick-and-roll actions involving Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.

#2 - Luke Kornet early impact​

With both Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis sitting out, Luke Kornet was the most impactful Celtic at the start of the game. With his strong screens creating a lot of space for the ball handler, Kornet was able to generate quality offense and finish at the rim.

His usual two-man game in the pick-and-roll with Jayson Tatum is known to be deadly, but recently there has also been more emphasis on his pick-and-roll synergy with Derrick White.

The Celtics’ depth at the ball-handler position is impressive, and it’s great to see them developing Kornet’s chemistry beyond just Tatum.

Alongside his 10 points in seven minutes, Kornet was again crucial in extending Celtics possessions with two offensive rebounds. Funny enough, he finished the game with only offensive rebounds—six in total. In this 21-point loss, Kornet had a +3 plus/minus, and the Celtics looked at their best when he was on the floor.

#3 - Boston small-ball struggle​

Despite the strong performances with Kornet on the court, the Celtics ended the second quarter and began the third with a small-ball lineup. Joe Mazzulla opted to use Torrey Craig to space the floor on offense and switch everything on defense. However, without Kornet, the defense fell apart.

To start the third quarter, the Miami Heat piled up shots at the rim. Within three minutes, they scored four baskets at the rim and earned three free throws. By the time Kornet was reinserted, the score was 73–52.

The small-ball experiment against Miami’s twin towers was bold, but the lack of preparation was obvious—Heat players should not have had such easy access to the rim.

#4 - Jaylen Brown looking good in the post-up​

Most of the Celtics struggled offensively last night. Jayson Tatum made only four of 17 shots, Sam Hauser struggled to get open and had just five attempts in 25 minutes, and Derrick White turned the ball over far more than usual. Still, there was a silver lining: Jaylen Brown’s post-up offense.

His gravity on these actions provides a lot of value. When he posts up on an empty side, the defense is forced to adjust. In the example below, Miami’s defensive shell collapses with four players dragged into the paint, leaving Jayson Tatum open from three.

The Celtics’ coaching staff also designed great plays to give Brown advantageous positions against weaker defenders. In the play below, a screen from Hauser allows Brown to switch from Bam Adebayo to Tyler Herro—a profitable trade for JB.

Once he got position to dominate Herro, Tatum just had to pass him the rock and watch JB do the rest.

Among the 27 players with more than two post-up actions per game, Jaylen Brown ranks 10th in efficiency. He is among the elite this season on these plays.

#5 - Best offensive rebound performance of the season​

Another positive takeaway from this game was the Celtics’ ability to dominate the offensive glass. Per Cleaning the Glass, they extended possessions on 43% of their missed shots. Even better: in half-court possessions only, the Celtics grabbed an offensive rebound on 51% of their misses. No other NBA team has done better on the offensive boards this season.

From these putback opportunities, the Celtics averaged 1.36 points per possession—well above their 0.94 points per possession in half-court sets. However, this aggressiveness came with a defensive cost: Miami had more open looks in transition—but we’ll get back to that.

#6 - Boston usual turnover rate​

The Celtics struggled to take care of the ball—credit to Miami’s defense for that. Led by Bam Adebayo, the Heat applied pressure on Celtics ball-handlers and off-ball players as soon as the ball was live.

The Heat featured many strong defenders—Davion Mitchell, Kyle Anderson, Kel’el Ware, and the surprising Pelle Larsson. Combined with Erik Spoelstra’s defensive scheme, which mixed zone with aggressive man-to-man coverage, Miami forced many turnovers… and those transitions crushed the Celtics.

#7 - Miami transition offense​

The last two takeaways lead directly to this one. Transition defense has been an ongoing theme for Boston this season. While they started slowly in that area—despite being one of the best transition defenses last year—the Celtics ramped up over the course of the season and returned to the top of the rankings, allowing just 1.16 points per transition shot attempt. But last night was different.

On transition shot attempts, the Miami Heat scored an absurd 2 points per possession (!!). While shooting luck played a part, this also showed how much Miami was willing to run and pressure a Celtics defense that looked more fragile than usual. In the play below, for example, you can see the Celtics weren’t ready to match the pace as the Heat looked for a two-for-one opportunity to close the quarter.

Miami is far less talented than Boston, but they brought more energy and executed their game plan perfectly. They came ready to outrun the Celtics because they knew they couldn’t out-talent them.

#8 - Miami was too hot from three​

Miami did a great job rotating and pressuring the Celtics’ ball-handlers, which may have contributed to Boston’s poor shooting from three. Meanwhile, Miami was on fire.

While Boston made only 12 of 43 threes, it took just 30 attempts for the Heat to convert 14 triples. Some of those shots were ones the Celtics were willing to give up to protect the paint—but sometimes teams shoot better than expected.

On that topic, I came across an interesting stat from Owen Phillips: the Celtics have had a top-five three-point defense in 16 of the last 18 NBA seasons. No other team has more than six such finishes during that time.

Feeling lucky?

#9 - Kyle Anderson punishing Joe mind trick​

A few weeks ago, OKC coach Mark Daigneault said Joe Mazzulla was great at playing mind tricks with defensive matchup alignments. Last night, Mazzulla went back to it—putting Neemias Queta on Kyle Anderson in the fourth quarter. The idea was to ignore Anderson off-ball, punishing his lack of shooting and slow movement. But the Heat flipped that against Boston by giving Anderson the ball and letting him attack Queta one-on-one.

There’s no doubt Mazzulla will continue to experiment with these kinds of matchups. That’s fine—even when it doesn’t work. These “mind tricks” often disrupt the opposing offense, but sometimes, teams still manage to take advantage.

#10 - One quote to sum it up​

Sometimes, a game can be summed up in one sentence — and Joe Mazzulla nailed it last night:

Joe Mazzulla: "I think they just played better than us tonight."

— Jack Simone (@JackSimoneNBA) April 3, 2025​

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/2025/4/...len-brown-luke-kornet-bam-adebayo-tyler-herro

 

[Boston Celtics]

Boston Celtics Daily Links 4/3/25

Sam Hauser vs Grizzlies 3/31/25 | Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images

All the Celtics news you need in one convenient place.

Herald Celtics’ win streak ends with lopsided loss to Heat after Joe Mazzulla pulls starters​

Jaylen Brown still playing through pain, but optimistic on health for playoffs​

Globe Erik Spoelstra hated how much he liked coaching Celtics stars​

Heat snap Celtics’ winning streak: 7 takeaways​

Heat stop shorthanded Celtics’ nine-game winning streak​

Heat stop shorthanded Celtics’ nine-game winning streak​

Maine Celtics’ JD Davison G League MVP​

Can the Celtics keep Jaylen Brown healthy for the playoffs?​

CelticsBlog Heat extinguishes Celtics’ winning streak, Boston loses to Heat 124-103​

Jaylen Brown might be handling his knee injury in the best way, even if we’re all begging him to sit these games out. ​

Celtics-Heat Notebook: Jaylen Brown discusses knee injury management, Luke Kornet a bright spot in loss ​

Payton Pritchard inks shoe deal with Converse ​

10 takeaways from the Heat outpacing and outshooting the Celtics ​

Celtics Green Comments from the Other Side - Heat 4/2/25 ​

CLNS Media Shorthanded Celtics Stumble at Home Against in 124-103 Loss to Heat ​

Jaylen Brown Hoping for Less Playoff Pain After Knee Injury Lingers vs. Heat​

Al Horford Heading Back to Post at Age 38 Before Celtics Enter Playoffs ​

Celtics .com Keys to the Game: Heat 124, Celtics 103​

Red-Hot Heat Halt Celtics’ Win Streak at Nine ​

JD Davison Named 2024-25 Kia NBA G League MVP ​

NBC Sports Boston Jaylen Brown shares knee injury update as NBA playoffs loom​

Celtics-Heat recap: C’s win streak snapped as comeback bid falls short ​

NESN Three Studs, Three Duds As Heat Shock Celtics To End Win Streak​

Why Joe Mazzulla ‘Loved’ Celtics Being ‘Miserable’ After Loss To Heat​

Mass Live Hated Celtics rival coach makes candid admission about Boston stars ​

New Boston Celtics owner attends Heat game with Wyc Grousbeck​

4 takeaways as Boston Celtics fall to Heat in largest loss of season ​

Celtics stunning rout to Heat opens door for surprise first round opponent​

Joe Mazzulla pulls Boston Celtics starters early in Heat blowout loss ​

Jaylen Brown injury: Boston Celtics star saw specialists for knee issue​

The Athletic NBA Awards Watch: Are All-NBA and other honors bad for your favorite team? ​

If NBA playoffs started today: Matchups and what to expect in each series​

Boston Sports Journal BSJ Game Report: Heat 124, Celtics 103 - C’s stumble again returning from long road trip​

Home hasn’t been sweet after long trips, but luckily that’s no longer an issue for the Celtics this season​

Celtics Wire Celtics’ Jayson Tatum deserves more credit​

Can Kristaps Porzingis stay healthy for the Celtics postseason run?​

Celtics’ Jrue Holiday must be causing sellers remorse in Milwaukee​

Boston’s comeback bid vs Heat falls short as winning streak snapped​

Will the NBA really expand into Europe?​

What foods do Boston Celtics players avoid at all costs?​

Celtics history: Pervis Ellison born; Kobe’s last game vs. Celtics​

Should we be worried about star Celtics forward Jaylen Brown’s knee?​

Celtics jersey history No. 14 - Don Eliason (1946)​

Hardwood Houdini A Celtics story so impossible it seems fake: The tale of two Tyler Lashbrooks​

CLNS Media/YouTube Jaylen Brown on Knee Injury: “I was in some pain” | Celtics Postgame 4-2 ​

Joe Mazzulla on LOSING a MEANINGLESS game: “We’re all pissed” | Celtics Postgame 4-2 ​

Derrick White: Would Not Be SURPRISED if Celtics Face Heat in Playoffs | Celtics Postgame 4-2 ​

Luke Kornet on His CHEMISTRY with Jayson Tatum | Celtics Postgame 4-2 ​

Why Is Jaylen Brown Playing Hurt? | Garden Report After Hours ​

Si .com Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard Signs Sneaker Deal With Converse​

Celtics HC Joe Mazzulla Calls Winning NBA Honor, ‘Dumbest Thing Ever’​

Social Media Reacts To Miami Heat Victory Over Boston Celtics Behind Pelle Larsson​

Hoops Rumors Award Candidates Who Still Need To Reach 65-Game Mark​

YouTube The reason Jayson Tatum will win an MVP award in the near future | Jones & Keefe ​

Fadeaway World Celtics Tried To Land Kevin Durant With Jaylen Brown Offer In 2022—Nets Said No ​

The Sports Hub Jaylen Brown gives his own update on knee situation​

Nike Converse Basketball Signs Boston Celtics Guard Payton Pritchard ​

NBA Analysis Jaylen Brown’s worrying injury admission after Heat snap Celtics’ 9-game win streak, ‘Not gonna feel like my normal self...’​

Barstool Sports “Losing Still Sucks” - After Just Their Second Loss In A Month, The Celtics Were Given A Valuable Reminder Of What Can Happen When You Play Like A**holes ​

Talkbasket Joe Mazzulla: Coach of the Month is ‘the dumbest thing ever’​

Athlon Sports Celtics Announce Exciting Jrue Holiday News Before Heat Game​

The Lead The NBA Has Backed The Celtics Into a Corner ​

Source: https://www.celticsblog.com/2025/4/3/24400644/boston-celtics-daily-links-4-3-25