The Heat win in Boston and now will face Memphis on the second night of a back-to-back. The Heat were on the road for Washington and Boston. The challenge of getting ready to play tonight after a flight will be greater than playing the Grizzlies. With the win streak, the Heat have played themselves back into contention for the eighth seed in the play-in tournament.
Heat vs. Boston series
Boston had won the last nine out of ten games against the Heat. The last time the Heat won in Boston was December 2022. Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis and Al Horford were out for Boston in the game. But, Jayson Tatum, Jalen Brown and Derrick White were in the game.
The Celtics are 24-13 at home this season compared to 32-7 on the road. The Heat carried a big lead into the second half and the Celtics made a run. They cut the lead to four. All Heat fans were possibly turning off their TV’s at the same time. Then, the Heat went on a 9-1 to push the lead to 15 and Coach Joe Mazzula pulled the starters.
Good things for Heat
The Heat went to the foul line 27 times in last night’s game. Tyler Herro was 9 for 10 from the line. The Heat split the foul line attempts between halves, going 13 times in the first half and 14 in the second. The team shot 12 times from the three-point line in the first compared to 18 in the second.
These metrics have often been skewed because the Heat have developed a pattern in losses. They shoot more from three and the percentage is poor. The Heaters went to the line only twelve times in the victory against the Warriors last week. This team thrives more when it is putting pressure on the basket with drives and movement than pure shooting.
Heat could still get the eighth seed
The eighth seed is in play for the Heat. This answer here from Ira Winderman in his weekly column highlights the Magic-Hawks matchups that could determine the outcome. The Heat play Memphis tonight, Milwaukee on Saturday and Chicago next Wednesday. Those are all de facto playoff games for the Heat. The prize for the Heat would be the seventh seed and a possible matchup with Boston in the first round.
