Matt Winer, Steve Smith and Isiah Thomas discuss a wild game 3 and provide an update on Jimmy Butler’s injury status for game 4.
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BOSTON (AP) – The Heat were embarrassed in Game 2, surrendering home advantage in their loss to the Celtics in their Eastern Conference final showdown.
Miami returned the service in Game 3 and built up a 26-point lead in the first half on its way to holding on to a 109-103 victory despite star Jimmy Butler sitting out in the second half with swelling in his right knee. Tyler Herro also failed to play the final eight minutes of the fourth quarter due to a groin injury.
With Boston’s Jayson Tatum (stick) and Marcus Smart (sprained ankle) also suffering injuries late, the Celtics went from a chance to take control of the series to now trying to avoid losing back-to-back matches for the first time in two months .
In addition to Tatum and Smart, center Robert Williams III sat out in match 3 with swelling in his surgically repaired left knee.
As expected, Celtics coach Ime Udoka said the coaching staff was busy on Saturday.
Marcus has a swelling in his ankle. Got a pretty bad sprain. Completed the match, but he will feel it a little more today, “said Udoka.
“To be worked on and get treatment. See how he feels tomorrow. Jayson is fine. It’s a sting that disappeared pretty quickly. And Rob has gotten better. Feels better than he did yesterday. … It’s day to day. We will test it tomorrow and see how he does. “
Tatum (nerve impact) is likely for Game 4, where Smart and Williams are both listed as questionable.
Miami, which strikes a winning streak from Boston to retain a win and take a 2-1 league lead, is an encouraging sign for a Heat team that had 15-10 without Butler in the regular season. The Heat also finished their first round series against Atlanta without both Butler and Kyle Lowry.
Lowry played for the first time in this series on Saturday, finishing with 11 points, six assists and four steals in 29 minutes. He had missed eight of the previous 10 games with an injury to his right hind thigh.
He said it felt good to be back, but acknowledged it was hard to see both Butler and Herro adding to their injury list – potentially again leaving Miami with less than full strength.
“Just having an opportunity to be out there with my guys is always fun,” Lowry said. “Injuries are part of the game. It’s the part that sucks at the game, the injuries, and this is hard. Jimmy is a warrior. Tyler is a warrior. But we have to keep staying focused on it, we did as a group… and hopefully those guys will be back and ready for the next match. ”
The Heat listed Buter (knee), Lowry (hoarding), Herro (groin) Max Strus (hoarding), Gabe Vincent (hoarding) and PJ Tucker (knee) as questionable for game 4.
Butler intends to play in Game 4, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler (knee) intends to play in game 4 of ECF against Boston Celtics, league sources say @YahooSports. https://t.co/1isMAd5htn
– Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) May 22, 2022
Regardless of who Miami ultimately has available on Monday, Udoka said it is the Celtics’ responsibility to limit their unforced errors.
Boston turned the ball over a playoff in 2022 24 times in Game 3, leading to 33 Miami points. The Heat also had 22 more shots than the Celtics.
“Obviously those things stand out and we played a lot for the audience, tried to do too much and did not make the simple pass,” Udoka said. “Looking at these areas, we have at times had a good transfer, but at times taken a step back.
Tatum said it will also be crucial to avoid what appears to be Miami’s magic number of 39. Miami had a third quarter of 39 points to take control in Game 1, surpassing the Celtics 39-18 in the first quarter of game 3.
“There’s no excuse. We can not spot them 39 points in the first quarter. Of course we just tried to overcome it the rest of the game,” said Tatum. “So of course we have to be better to start the match.”