The Celtics dropped the first of two must-win games against the Heat on Sunday, falling 130-124.
Here’s what happened.
The big picture
The Heat dominated the Celtics defensively in the first half, and the Celtics couldn’t stop Miami’s shooters. The lead ballooned to double-digits and extended as high as 20 in the first half.
Predictably, the Celtics found a way to get back into the game. They trimmed the deficit to 12 in the third quarter and cut it to single digits again in the fourth quarter after the Heat built it back.
But — once again — the Celtics dug themselves too deep a hole.