It wasn't pretty, but the Boston Celtics took the Eastern Conference finals lead for the first time, and the Miami Heat are facing elimination in a road Game 6 less than 48 hours after yet another battle of attrition.
Neither team could find the net in the first half, but the Celtics unleashed a 24-2 run to turn the first back-and-forth game of the series into a fifth straight lopsided victory. Boston's top-rated defense held Miami to 32% shooting from the field and 16% accuracy from 3-point range in a 93-80 win that titled a tied series.
Celtics stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined for 10 points on 16 shots in the first half, but they made all five of their attempts to start the fourth quarter, including four 3-pointers, to extend their lead to 83-60.