Takeaways from Miami Heat’s Victory over the Boston Celtics

Photo by: Heat.com

The Miami Heat played against the Boston Celtics for the second consecutive time this week. And it was a wild one. Both teams went back and forth throughout the whole game. In the third period, the Celtics pushed their lead to 13, but then Miami trimmed the lead down to six at the end of the third. It appeared that Jimmy Butler closed the door on the Celtics when he buried a jumper with 5.6 seconds left in regulation. But then, Jaylen Brown banked in a 30-footer that ended up sending the game into overtime. Still, the Heat were able to get the job done in overtime and came away with the win. The win moves Miami to 11-12 for the season. Here are my takeaways from Friday’s win over Boston.

Jimmy Butler is HIM!

After missing seven games with a knee injury, Butler was back with the team in Boston. He returned to the arena where he completed his masterpiece in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in May. Despite not putting up a similar performance, he was still impactful. Butler was crashing the boards on both ends, playing the passing lanes, and playing terrific man defense. Most importantly, he closed the game in superstar fashion. In regulation, he made baskets on back-to-back possessions in the final minute. In overtime, he closed the game with a tough fadeaway jumper over Al Horford. When Miami needed him most, Butler came through. In the end, he finished the night with 25 points and 15 rebounds.

Bam Adebayo Continues his Scoring Burst

Bam Adebayo has been very impressive on both ends for the Heat. Especially on the offensive end. However, the question entering Friday’s game was whether it would continue. Well, it did. Despite Butler’s return, Adebayo remained aggressive on the offensive end. There were times when Butler would defer to Adebayo in late-game situations to get a bucket. Adebayo took advantage of his matchups with his quickness. He was able to shake his defenders and convert the fadeaway jumper on them. He also got to the free-throw line multiple times. In the end, Adebayo finished with 28 points and seven rebounds. Adebayo is now averaging 30.3 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 60.8% from the field.

Herro’s Early Scoring Boost

With Butler back, the Heat went back with their normal starters. This was the eight time their starters played together. There have been questions about who would take the step back to make it work. But on Friday, the starters were still able to have their moments throughout the game. Tyler Herro got his scoring going early, with 18 points at halftime. He was hitting the quick pull up jumpers off the dribble handoffs. Additionally, he displayed shot creation with step back jumpers in the midrange. He injured his ankle in the second quarter but appeared to be just fine. Herro finished the night with 26 points and five rebounds.

Highsmith Stays in Rotation

The Heat seemed to have find another developmental project on the team. And his name is Haywood Highsmith. It’s been a rough start for the Heat forward, but he seems to have picked up his play. Most importantly, he’s earning the coaching staffs’ trust. Even though Miami had most of its team back, Highsmith remained in the Heat’s rotation. While he only had two points, Highsmith played terrific defense on Celtics star Jayson Tatum, who finished the night with 14 points, 16 below his scoring average. He also got to finish the game ahead of starter Caleb Martin. Highsmith is quick on the ball and great on his defensive rotations.

Next Up: Memphis Grizzlies on 8pm eastern