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The Boston Celtics have listed their All-Star forward Jayson Tatum as available for the highly anticipated game 2 of the Eastern Conference round 1 playoffs against the Miami Heat on Wednesday.
The Celtics secured a comfortable win in Game 1, triumphing 114-94 and covering the substantial 14.5-point spread. From start to finish, Boston maintained control, never relinquishing the lead and enjoying a lead of up to 34 points at one stage.
The victory extends Boston's perfect record against the Heat this season to four wins, with three of them coming during the regular season.
Erik Spoelstra, widely esteemed as one of basketball's premier coaches, faces a daunting challenge in this matchup.
The Heat were deprived of Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier's services in Game 1, a trend likely to continue in Game 2. The absence of these key players prompted Miami to start Caleb Martin and Jaime Jaquez Jr., resulting in a noticeable decline in production.
Miami's struggles from beyond the arc, shooting just 12-of-37 at 32.4%, were pivotal, especially as the Celtics capitalised with 22 3-pointers in the game. Despite the loss, Bam Adebayo was Miami's standout performer, tallying 24 points and six rebounds.
What happened to Jayson Tatum?
Jayson Tatum has been absent for eight games this season. Two of them were due to a right ankle impingement. Additionally, Tatum departed a game prematurely against the Warriors on Dec. 19 due to a left ankle sprain.
The injury occurred shortly before the eighth-minute mark in the first quarter when Tatum accidentally stepped on Brandin Podziemski's foot.
Following the incident, Tatum limped to the locker room for evaluation. Despite his return at the start of the second quarter, he lacked his usual explosiveness, impacting his performance noticeably.
Jayson Tatum stats vs Miami Heat
Jayson Tatum has appeared in 22 games against the Miami Heat, going 13-9, and has played them 21 times in the playoffs, going 10-11.
He has averaged 22.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists with 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks on 47.5% shooting, including 41.5% from beyond the arc and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
However, in the playoffs, he increases his scoring output to 25.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 6.0 assists with 1.2 steals and 0.9 blocks on 44.6% shooting, including 29.1% from the 3-point line and 88.8% from the free-throw line.
