Through greater than three quarters on Tuesday night time, the Celtics, as skinny as they’ve been all season, appeared poised to gather one in every of their finest wins of the yr.
Then the underside fell out in one in every of their extra painful quarters of the season.
Down 4 of their high six gamers, the depleted Celtics constructed a double-digit lead early within the fourth quarter earlier than blowing it with a uncommon offensive drought through which they didn’t rating for greater than six minutes. The C’s briefly recovered, however premature turnovers and large photographs from Heat star Bam Adebayo in the end buried them in a irritating 98-95 loss in Miami.
The Celtics – after reeling off 9 consecutive victories – have now misplaced back-to-back video games and on Tuesday night time misplaced on the second night time of a back-to-back for the primary time this season.
The C’s had been lacking Jaylen Brown, Marcus Smart, Al Horford and Malcolm Brogdon. They had been compelled to start out Payton Pritchard, who performed 42 minutes. Their bench was skinny, with Justin Jackson getting important minutes. But they nonetheless discovered themselves in place to beat the Jimmy Butler-less Heat, even after they blew a 14-point lead.
Grant Williams hit a game-tying 3-pointer with 42.6 seconds left earlier than Adebayo answered with a go-ahead jumper with 20 seconds to go. On the following Celtics’ possession, interim head coach Joe Mazzulla opted to not name a timeout as Jayson Tatum walked the ball up the court docket. But the Celtics star, after being caught in a double crew, threw a nasty cross-court go that was meant for Williams however was intercepted by Haywood Highsmith.
Highsmith was fouled by Williams with 0.6 seconds left and made one in every of two free throws earlier than Pritchard’s game-tying 3-point try on the buzzer got here up quick to seal the Celtics’ loss.
As depleted because the Celtics had been, Mazzulla took accountability for the way issues unraveled within the fourth and particularly the possession that resulted in Tatum’s seventh turnover of the night time.
“That’s on me to put him in a better situation,” Mazzulla instructed reporters in Miami. “But I thought they had their offensive lineup on the floor. I knew they weren’t going to let him get something. … I have to put up a better play that allows him to see that better. He couldn’t see the 2-on-1 well enough, so I have to call a better play there.”
Mazzulla didn’t appear focused on calling a timeout, at the same time as Tatum appeared to be gradual going into his actions earlier than in the end making a nasty learn.
“I’m sitting there and I’m saying if we call one, they get to their defensive lineup,” Mazzulla stated. “They might go zone, they might go man, you’re not likely positive. They might blitz, they might swap, they might preserve. …
“What I did know is the absolutes. The absolute was we had the ball in our best player’s hands. I knew that because of their offensive lineup, they were going to play this coverage, I just didn’t call the right play. I have to call a better play to get the better spacing for him to see it better.”
The C’s wouldn’t have been in that place in the event that they didn’t go inexplicably chilly within the fourth. After Robert Williams flushed a one-handed alley-oop slam to place the Celtics up 87-77, they failed to attain on 10 consecutive offensive possessions over a stretch of six minutes and 30 seconds. Adebayo – who completed with 30 factors and 15 rebounds – led the Heat on a 15-0 run to take the lead.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra turned to a zone protection and the Celtics didn’t have a solution. They in the end scored simply 13 factors of their brutal fourth quarter.
“They went to their zone and we just didn’t have the spacing we needed,” Mazzulla stated. “We didn’t get the looks we should have. I thought we had the right personnel on the floor against the zone, we just didn’t get the looks we should have on a few of those.”
Added Derrick White: “Thirteen points in the fourth quarter, it’s going to be tough to win games that way.”
Tatum completed with 31 factors, 14 rebounds and 7 assists, however scored simply 10 factors within the second half and dedicated seven of the Celtics’ 17 turnovers as giveaways price them once more.
White stepped up with 23 factors to help Tatum, however the Celtics definitely missed their regulars. Still, they didn’t wish to make excuses. They have overcome absences earlier than they usually regarded like they’d once more Tuesday earlier than the ultimate 9 minutes.
“We take pride in being the deepest team,” White instructed reporters. “When people are out we have to have that next-man-up mentality. Obviously two games we dropped that we could have won. We don’t look at who’s playing, who’s not playing. Obviously we miss those guys, but we still think we should have won.”
Injury report
Smart missed his second consecutive recreation as a result of proper ankle sprain he suffered in Saturday’s win over the Raptors. He instructed reporters in Miami that he thinks he’ll miss 1-2 weeks.
Brown was out on account of proper adductor harm administration. He suffered that harm two weeks in the past and missed three video games earlier than returning for the Warriors recreation final week. The Celtics selected to be cautious with him on the second night time of a back-to-back after taking part in heavy minutes in his return.
Horford missed the second recreation of a back-to-back, which he has carried out all season, whereas Brogdon missed his second consecutive recreation on account of private causes.
Source: www.bostonherald.com