Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown lead Celtics to Game 5 win

Jaylen Brown scored 25 factors, Jayson Tatum added 22 and the Boston Celtics moved to the brink of a berth within the NBA Finals, working away after halftime to beat the Miami Warmth, 93-80, on Wednesday night time and take a 3-2 lead within the Japanese Convention title sequence.

Al Horford had 16 factors and Derrick White added 14 for the Celtics. Tatum completed with 12 rebounds and 9 assists.

Bam Adebayo scored 18 factors and grabbed 10 rebounds for the Warmth, who shot 32% within the recreation — after taking pictures 33% in Boston’s 20-point win in Recreation 4. Gabe Vincent added 15, Jimmy Butler had 13 and Duncan Robinson scored 11 for Miami.

The Warmth have been 7-for-45 from 3-point vary.

Recreation 6 is in Boston on Friday night time, the place a pair of newly named trophies bearing the names of Celtics legends might be ready. The Bob Cousy trophy goes to the East champs, the Larry Hen trophy to the East finals MVP, and the Celtics are one win away from being the primary staff to hoist them.

This sequence has seen huge momentum swings — a 44-14 Miami run in Recreation 1, a 60-21 Boston run in Recreation 2, a 46-20 Miami run to open Recreation 3 adopted by a 57-33 Boston run in the identical recreation, and a 26-4 spurt by the Celtics to open Recreation 4.

The Recreation 5 run was simply as one-sided.

The rating over a 6 1/2-minute stretch of the second half: Celtics 24, Warmth 2. The turnaround was 59-58 Boston to 83-60 Boston, and that was that.

Boston outscored Miami 32-16 within the third quarter, holding the Warmth to 17% taking pictures in that interval. The margin was solely 11 at that time — however quickly, the sport was in zero doubt. A 14-2 run was how Boston opened the fourth quarter, Brown capping the flurry by making three 3-pointers in a span of two 1/2 minutes, and the lead was out to 23.

Brown then sealed issues with a down-the-lane dunk with 5:19 left, the lead was 18 at that time and the countdown was on for Boston.

The Celtics have not reached the NBA Finals since 2010. There have been 4 East Finals journeys since then, with two losses to Miami and two to Cleveland. There have been additionally two probabilities — Recreation 6 in 2012 towards the Warmth and Recreation 7 in 2018 towards the Cavaliers — when the Celtics had an opportunity to assert the convention title just by profitable a recreation on their residence flooring.

They misplaced each, LeBron James serving because the official thwarter each occasions, with 45 factors to avoid wasting Miami within the 2012 recreation and 35 to elevate Cleveland within the 2018 clincher.

He will not be within the Celtics’ method Friday night time.

Miami will want any individual to offer some semblance of an impersonation.

Offense was in brief provide within the first half, however Miami’s protection seemed to be giving the Warmth hope. Miami led 19-17 after one and 42-37 on the break. Tatum was 1-for-9 at intermission, Butler 2-for-8, and the groups mixed to shoot 37.8% from the sector and 21.6% from 3-point vary.

It was the lowest-scoring first half of a convention finals recreation since Might 28, 2014, when the Warmth and Indiana mixed for 75 factors on the break in what ultimately grew to become a 93-90 Pacers win.

And Miami, one way or the other, received colder to start out the second half. The Celtics didn’t.

The Warmth missed their first 9 photographs from the sector after the break, not getting something to fall till Butler fended off contact and scored on a drive that received Miami inside 49-48 with 6:53 left within the third.

However quickly, the Celtics had management. Of the sport. And the sequence.

Reporting by Related Press.

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