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For Game 2 of their two-game mini-series, the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics will lock horns once again at TD Garden on Tuesday.
In their matchup on Sunday, the two teams fought down to the wire, although the Heat held control of the game for the majority of the duration. Jimmy Butler was incredible down the stretch as they secured a 6-point victory, winning 130-124.
The Miami Heat's victory gave them a cushion for the 6th seed and the Boston Celtics, sitting at 7th, let a must-needed win slip away. They are now 2 games behind the Heat and their chances of avoiding the play-in tournament are looking bleak.
Match Details
Fixture: Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics | NBA Season 2020-21.
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 11th, 2021; 7:30 PM ET (Wednesday, May 12th; 5:00 AM IST).
Venue: TD Garden, Boston, MA.
Boston Celtics Preview
After a roaring few weeks, the Boston Celtics seemed to have cooled down again. They have lost six of their last nine games and their chances of entering the top 6 seeds seem far-fetched.
The Celtics have a moderate schedule for their remaining 4 fixtures. They take on the Cavaliers, Timberwolves, and Knicks after this game and they need to go at least 2-1 or 3-0 to avoid falling further down to the 8th seed.
In their first match against the Miami Heat, the team overall scored well and executed their game like they do but weren't able to cut down the Miami Heat's lead in time. They were not playing at a 100% and the Miami Heat capitalized down the stretch. Coach Brad Stevens spoke about his team after the match,
"When we’re completely engaged, we’re a good basketball team. When we’re not...[for whatever reason]...we’re not even close to being able to compete with anybody, let alone a team like Miami."
Kemba Walker scored 18 points, Marcus Smart had 16 points, Jayson Tatum dropped 29 and Evan Fournier led the team with 30 points.
Key Player - Jayson Tatum
Although Jayson Tatum has stepped up in Jaylen Brown's absence, he needs to stay consistent. Tatum leads the team in scoring but tends to have cold nights now and then.
The Boston Celtics need him to elevate his production even further in the postseason. He dropped 29 points in Tuesday's game against the Miami Heat on 11-16 shooting, including 2-6 from three-point range.
Boston Celtics Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Kemba Walker | Shooting Guard - Marcus Smart | Small Forward - Evan Fournier | Power Forward - Jayson Tatum | Center - Tristan Thompson.
Miami Heat Preview
The Miami Heat have won 9 of their last 12 games and have given themselves a playoff berth. Another win on Tuesday would have them overtake the Atlanta Hawks for the 5th seed as the two teams are currently tied for their season record (37-31).
The team has been majorly healthy after a long time and they are functioning like a cohesive unit.
Bam Adebayo is averaging more points and shooting at a higher clip than last season. He is averaging a near double-double with 18.9 points and 9.0 rebounds per game while also dishing out 5.4 assists, grabbing 1.2 steals and blocking 1.1 shots a night.
Tyler Herro returned after being absent for nearly a week and contributed 12 points in their win on Sunday.
Key Player - Jimmy Butler
Miami Heat's 'swiss army knife' Jimmy Butler does everything it takes to get the team a win. He has been incredible this season, averaging 21.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game.
Butler leads the league in steals per game with 2.1 swipes. He dropped a team-high in nearly every category with 26 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds in their win against Boston on Sunday.
Jimmy Butler spoke about his team's win after the game,
"[A win] always feels great win...But I don't think that we closed the game like we're supposed to or capable of either. So at the same time we've got to be better."
Miami Heat Predicted Lineup
Point Guard - Kendrick Nunn | Shooting Guard - Duncan Robinson | Small Forward - Jimmy Butler | Power Forward - Trevor Ariza | Center - Bam Adebayo.
Heat vs Celtics Match Prediction
The absence of Jaylen Brown might hurt the Boston Celtics in this game as well. However, after Sunday's beatdown, they might come out more motivated than ever to get revenge.
This match is the tie-breaker for the season series and a win for the Celtics brings them closer to their goal of getting into the top 6 seeds. Nevertheless, this matchup has the potential to go either way and we should expect a nail-biter on Tuesday.
Where to watch the Heat vs Celtics game?
The Miami Heat vs. Boston Celtics game will be locally televised on NBC Sports Boston and nationally broadcast on ABC. The match can also be streamed live on the NBA League Pass.
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