Celtics stun Heat on last-second putback
Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) celebrates with guard Carsen Edwards (4) after making the game winning basket against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on January 6, 2021. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Rookie guard Payton Pritchard scored on a put-back with two-tenths of a second left to give the Boston Celtics a 107-105 win over the host Miami Heat on Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-2 Pritchard followed up on a missed drive by Marcus Smart.
Boston went on a 13-0 run late in the fourth quarter to turn a three-point deficit into a 10-point lead. But Miami recovered with a 3-pointer by Duncan Robinson with 1:09 left and then his four-point play 30 seconds later, cutting the Heat deficit to 105-102.
Miami’s Goran Dragic then tied the score with a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left, setting up Pritchard for his dramatic play. Pritchard finished with six points.
Jayson Tatum led Boston with a game-high 27 points. Jaylen Brown added 21 points for the Celtics, who were eliminated by the Heat in last season’s Eastern Conference finals.
Jimmy Butler scored a season-high 26 points to lead the Heat, who have alternated a loss with a win in each of their seven games this season.
Robinson had 16 points, and Bam Adebayo was brilliant with 15 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds.
Smart, who returned after missing one game due to a thumb injury, scored nine points and dished out a team-high six assists.
The Celtics, however, were still without guards Kemba Walker (knee) and Jeff Teague (ankle).
Boston, which shot 53.8 percent in the first quarter, led by as many as 12 points before heading into the second period with a 34-26 advantage.
Both teams scored 19 points in the second quarter, and Boston — which led by as many as 17 points — went into halftime with a 53-45 lead.
The third quarter, thanks in part to eight points by Miami’s Kelly Olynyk, ended at 80-80.
Miami led 95-92 with 4:35 left in the fourth, but then Boston went on its 13-0 run.
Boston’s victory was fueled by its 56-40 advantage in paint points.
