A crushing third-quarter collapse doomed the Miami Heat. Discover how Nikola Vucevic's debut and costly missed shots sealed their fate against the Boston Celtics.
After a strong first half, the Miami Heat collapsed in a 98-96 loss against the Boston Celtics. The third quarter was the deciding factor in this game. Regardless of mishaps, they had a chance to win the game in the final seconds, but Davion Mitchell couldn't convert on a wide-open left corner three-pointer.
Five biggest takeaways:
1. Heat; First-quarter dominance: The Heat started the game with a 22-6 run. The Celtics prioritized shooting from behind the arc, but couldn't convert. They finished with a 10-percent three-point shooting, making one out of 10 attempts. The Heat scored 12 points in the paint, which helped carve out a 22-point lead. Bam Adebayo led with 10 early points, including a couple of three-pointers made. The Heat closed the first quarter with a 29-15 advantage.
2. Heat; Third-quarter woes: The third quarter has been a struggle for the majority of the season for the Heat. They missed All-Star Norman Powell due to suffering a minor hand injury. The Celtics outscored the Heat 36-15. After struggling to make shots from behind the arc, they finished with 71.4 percent three-point shooting, making five out of seven attempts.
Derrick White finished the first half with four points, but scored eight in the third quarter on 50-percent shooting.
The Heat finished with 26.3 percent shooting from the field, 16.7 percent from three-point range, making two out of 12 attempts.
3. Celtics; Nikola Vucevic's debut: The Celtics acquired two-time All-Star Nikola Vucevic, plus a 2027 Denver Nuggets second-round pick, ahead of the trade deadline in exchange for Anfernee Simons and a second-round pick. He finished with 11 points, eight in the third quarter, 12 rebounds, four assists, and two steals off the bench.
Vucevic took advantage of the Heat's small lineup, especially when guarded by 6'10 forward Nikola Jovic. The 35-year-old now has 579 career double-doubles, 30 against the Heat.
4. Celtics; Second-chance opportunities: Both Celtics bigs, Vucevic and Neemias Queta, combined for 23 rebounds, 10 came from the offensive glass. The team finished with 20 second-chance points, 12 came in the second half, when the Heat only had three.
It shows how big the little winning plays made an impact on the final results.
5. Heat; Lack of depth production: Regardless of still missing Tyler Herro, the Heat's bench barely added any support. The reserves finished with 17 points combined and Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored 11 of them. Meanwhile, Vucevic and Payton Pritchard outscored them, combining for 35 points.
Jovic and Myron Gardner finished scoreless and Simone Fontecchio, Kel'el Ware, and Dru Smit each had two points.
The Heat will travel to the nation's capital to face the Washington Wizards on Sunday afternoon, who were active at the trade deadline. All-Stars Trae Young and Anthony Davis are not expected to play; both are likely shut down for the rest of the season.
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