NBA 2018-19: 3 Talking Points from Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat
The Boston Celtics visited the Miami Heat after having won the encounter between the two teams a couple of nights before at the TD Garden. The Celtics again emerged victorious by a scoreline of 112-102.
This match was again a close affair. But the Celtics pulled away in the final minutes to get the win. Hayward scored 25 points for the Celtics and Irving scored 23 points.
With the win, the Celtics hang on to their fourth spot in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. They have a 47-32 record this season.
The Heat have dropped out of the playoffs spot. They occupy the ninth place at the moment and are 0.5 games behind the eighth-placed Orlando Magic. Orlando's resurgence since the All-Star break has made it a really interesting battle for the playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference.
Let's have a look at the key talking points from the match:
#3 Poor offensive night for the Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are not known for their offense. They are ranked 26th in the league in points scored per game and 17th in the league in assists. Their defense has been the main reason which has kept them afloat this season.
They again struggled on the offensive end in this match. The Heat shot 41% from the floor compared to the 47.5% shooting from the Boston Celtics. The Celtics also shot better than them from the 3PT line. The Heat only managed to shoot 33% from beyond the arc.
Dion Waiters top-scored for the Heat with 21 points on 8-22 shooting from the field. Goran Dragic struggled throughout the match and could only manage 11 points on 3-15 shooting from the field. Dwyane Wade finished the match with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and is still looking like the Heat's best player in the final season of his career.