Miami Heat stun Boston Celtics, Thunder thrash Pelicans in NBA playoffs

Heat scored a franchise playoff record 23 3-pointers against the Eastern top seed, as Thunder sank Pelicans in the West.

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) drivers the ball against Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) in the second half during game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Tyler Herro led the scoring for Miami Heat with 24 points, including six three-pointers against Boston Celtics in game two [David Butler II/USA Today Sports via Reuters]

The Miami Heat unleashed a barrage of three-pointers to score a series-levelling 111-101 upset over the top-seeded Boston Celtics in their NBA Eastern Conference playoff duel.

Eighth-seeded Miami, playing without the injured Jimmy Butler, produced a battling performance on Wednesday to tie the best-of-seven series at 1-1 as the teams head back to Florida for game three on Saturday.

Tyler Herro led the Miami scoring with 24 points, part of a balanced offensive effort that saw all five Heat starters post double-digit points.

But the key to the Miami victory was their accuracy from long range, with the Heat draining 23 three-pointers from 43 attempts compared with Boston’s 12 of 32.

Herro knocked down six threes while Caleb Martin added five to his tally of 21 points.

Bam Adebayo also finished with 21 points while Jaime Jaquez Jr added 14 and Nikola Jovic 11.

Boston, meanwhile, were led by 33 points from Jaylen Brown, with Jayson Tatum finishing with 28 in a losing effort.

The win was all the more unexpected given Miami’s 20-point drubbing by Boston in game one on Sunday – something Herro said had motivated the Heat for game two.

“We lost badly in game one and everybody responded tonight, and that’s all you can ask for from a group of guys,” Herro said afterwards.

It was another trademark display of defiance from Miami, who are aiming to emulate their playoff run of last season when they reached the NBA Finals after entering the postseason via the play-in tournament.

“We don’t even want to mention last year, this year is a whole new year,” Herro said.

Boston star Tatum, meanwhile, said the Celtics had expected a backlash after their comfortable game one victory.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Tatum said.

“There’s a lot of history between these two franchises, especially recently.

“Regardless of seeding or who’s in or who’s out – it’s the playoffs … we’ve got a chance to play another one on Saturday – should be a fun one.”

Oklahoma City Thunder 124-9 New Orleans Pelicans

While the Eastern Conference top seeds were left licking their wounds, there were no such problems for Boston’s Western Conference counterparts Oklahoma City.

The number one ranked Thunder took a commanding 2-0 lead in their first-round series against the eighth-seeded New Orleans Pelicans with an emphatic 124-92 thrashing.

The Thunder took the lead early in the first quarter and were in complete control throughout, holding a double-digit advantage from the second quarter onwards which reached 34 points at one stage late in the fourth quarter.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the scoring for Oklahoma City, finishing with 33 points from 13-of-19 shooting from the field.

Chet Holmgren added 26 points while Jalen Williams chipped in with 21. Luguentz Dort added 15 points including four three-pointers.

The result was in stark contrast to game one, which went down to the wire before Oklahoma City prevailed 94-92 on Sunday.

“Within a seven-game series, we’ve just got to take it day by day and try to get better every day,” Gilgeous-Alexander said afterwards.

“And I think that’s what we did tonight. We definitely had a better performance than we did in game one and that’s our goal. So we’ll take it.”

The series now heads to game three in New Orleans on Saturday.

Apr 24, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) gestures after scoring against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half of game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrates after scoring against the New Orleans Pelicans during game two of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs [Alonzo Adams/USA Today Sports via Reuters]
Source: News Agencies

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