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Celtics vs. Heat score, takeaways: Bam Adebayo leads Miami to crucial Game 3 win despite loss of Jimmy Butler
The Heat will look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in Game 4 following this win
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The Miami Heat stormed out to a 26-point lead over the Boston Celtics in Game 3 on Saturday night only to hold on for a 109-103 victory at TD Garden following a furious rally from the home team during the second half after Jimmy Butler had been ruled out of the game with knee inflammation. In the end, Butler's absence during the final two quarters was not enough for Boston to pull off the comeback as Bam Adebayo finished the win with a team-high 31 points to go along with 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
On the other end of the spectrum, Jaylen Brown was fantastic for Boston finishing the game with 40 points and nine rebounds. While Al Horford and Marcus Smart combined for 36 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists, the Celtics were unable to overcome a poor shooting night from Jayson Tatum as the All-Star struggled mightily from the field finishing just 3-for-14 for the night.
With the win, Miami takes a 2-1 lead over Boston with Game 4 coming on Monday night.
Here are four key takeaways from the game:
1. Injuries take center stage again
It has unfortunately been impossible to talk about this postseason, and this series in particular, without discussing injuries. Marcus Smart, Al Horford, Derrick White and Robert Williams have all missed a game in this series for the Celtics, while Kyle Lowry did not play in the first two games for the Heat.
The problem only got worse on Saturday, as Smart, Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler all made their way to the locker room at various points. Most notably, Butler did not play in the second half due to knee inflammation. He should be OK moving forward, however. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said he won't need an MRI, and per USA Today, Butler won't miss any more time.
Smart and Tatum actually returned to the game, despite the fact that their injuries seemed more severe. Early in the second quarter, Smart suffered a nasty looking ankle sprain that was made worse when Lowry inadvertently rolled over his leg. Later on, Tatum got a stinger during a scramble for a loose ball, and stayed down for a few minutes in serious pain. Following the game, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka said Smart and Tatum should both be good to go moving forward.
2. Adebayo shows up
Bam Adebayo made his third straight All-Defensive team appearance this season, and would have been an All-Star and potentially even the Defensive Player of the Year if he didn't miss an extended stretch with a thumb injury. In the first two games of this series, though, he was largely invisible, finishing with a total of 16 points, 13 rebounds and three assists.
That all changed in Game 3. Adebayo came out like a man on a mission. He was demanding the ball early and often, and hitting an array of mid-range jumpers and shots around the rim. He nearly matched his total from the first two games in the first quarter of this one, as he had 12 points to help the Heat build an early double-digit lead.
Late in the game, with Butler out of commission, he stepped up again. He scored eight points in the fourth quarter to hold off the Celtics' comeback attempt, including a stunning off-balance jumper to beat the shot clock with 1:23 remaining. That shot pushed the Heat's lead back up to six and ended up being the dagger.
By the final buzzer, Adebayo had 31 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four steals in by far his best performance of the entire postseason. The Heat are going to need Adebayo playing like this if they want to finish the job against the Celtics -- especially if Butler isn't 100 percent.