Friday night the Miami HEAT opened their current 2 game road trip in Boston. 

The HEAT started the game firing & hitting 3s early in the shot clock. 

Miami looked energized to get Norm Powell back in the mix after a few games off. 

The HEAT were pushing pace & jumped out to a 25-6 run early in the first quarter. Miami was getting anything they wanted on offense as they were running fast & hard in transition & playing with lots of energy on defense.

Couper Moorhead tweeted, “Heat are up 25-6 and have only taken one shot in the restricted area.”

Moorhead tweeted, “Wouldn't say Miami's offense was all that different than they usually are early in games, but you hold your opponent to an Offensive Rating of 54.5 in a quarter, you're going to win that quarter.”

Heat went  up 19 early & lead  29-15 going into the second period. FYI the Celtics won Jan. 15 in Miami from 19 down.

In the second quarter the HEAT were lighting it up & pushed the lead up to 20.   Moorhead said on X, “Kind of feels like we haven't had an even-3pt game in weeks. It's either the Heat ice cold and the opponent hitting everything, or the complete reverse as we're seeing so far tonight.”

Norm Powell & Andrew Wiggins were pretty much carrying the HEAT offensively as he they were getting any shot they wanted & were hitting.

Moorhead tweeted again, “Miami definitely had a bit of an energy edge but that was an oddly even half for a 21-point game. Heat are 12-of-26 outside the paint. Celtics are 3-of-28. That's pretty much the entire difference, though Boston forced a few more threes.”

The Heat went up 22 in the second quarter & took a 59-38 lead into halftime. Andrew Wiggins was ballin with  17. Jaylen Brown had 17 for Boston, with no other Celtic with more than five points.

In the 3rd quarter the Celtics were looking to turn the momentum back in their favor as they started in a comfortable rhythm.  HEAT Gaurd Norm Powell left the game with a finger injury.

As Celtics fans awoken; Ira Winderman tweeted, “Heat 22-point lead down to 67-55, in, of course, the third quarter.”

The Celtics started hitting shots that they were missing in the 1st half as they tied the game after being down by 21 at halftime. Miami didn’t have much defense & they didn’t muster much offense in the 3rd quarter but here’s a highlight.

Winderman tweeted, “Erik Spoelstra's closing point during his morning media sessions was consistency. "Having more consistent quarters all the way throughout the game. First quarter, second quarter and then this third quarter that we have to do a much better job with." Heat up 21 at start of third.”

The game was then gridlocked as the score was Celtics 74, Heat 74 going into the fourth.

In the 4th quarter the Celtics were in rhythm as both teams changed roles. The Celtics couldn’t make a 3 in the first half & then the HEAT couldn’t make a 3 in the second half. Norm Powell re emerged to the court for the HEAT only a few minutes after heading to the locker room.

Both teams were getting really scrappy which raised the intensity level as the competition between these teams brings out each others strengths. 

It was great competition in the 4th quarter, back & forth for both teams. Trailing by 2 with only 8 seconds left in the 4th quarter the HEAT got a chance to tie or win with no timeouts remaining. Davion Mitchell had a chance to win it but missed a clean look for 3. Wide open & back rimmed it. Miami was outscored 60-37 in the second half.

FINAL: HEAT 96, Celtics 98

Wiggins: 26pts, 6rebs

Powell: 24pts, 4stls

Adebayo: 16pts, 7rebs

Mitchell: 13pts, 6asts

Jaquez Jr.: 11pts, 7rebs, 7asts

CELTICS OWN THE HEAT…AGAIN ☘️🍿

Boston Celtics storm back and takes another one from Miami Heat tonight.

That’s 16 WINS in their last 19 meetings against the Heat.

Ira Winderman tweeted, “Norman Powell said he took x-rays on his right hand when he went to the locker room in the third quarter, concerned it might have been a fracture. He termed it a hyperextension.”

All three Boston games this season have followed a similar blueprint, the offense struggling after halftime without enough rim pressure to sustain.

That, and the bench has yet to get back to where it was in those first six weeks.

Coup’s Takeaways: 

Follow me on X (Twitter)!