The Celtics’ 16-game winning streak finally came to an end in Miami on Wednesday night at the hands of the Heat in a 104-98 final.
Boston trailed by as many as 16 early in the fourth quarter and nearly completed yet another stunning comeback, getting within one point of the Heat late, but the Celtics’ late-game magic finally ran out. The man most responsible for closing out the Celtics was Dion Waiters, who finished the game with 26 points, including eight in the final three minutes.
https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/933527685304856576
Waiters hit a three to end the Celtics’ run to within one point and then another later to give Miami a seven-point cushion with just over two to play. The win was big for Miami to improve them to 8-9, but the story is the end of the Celtics’ incredible streak, which the Heat had some fun with on Twitter.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/933530425129041920
Boston struggled as a team from the floor in Miami, as they shot just 41.7 percent from the floor (34.6 percent from three) and missed eight free throws on the night. Meanwhile, the Heat managed to crack the code of Boston’s top-ranked defense behind their backcourt duo of Waiters and Goran Dragic, who led the team with 27 points including some late free throws to keep the Celtics at arm’s length. Dragic did much of his damage early, with 20 first-half points to help the Heat build a substantial lead.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/933511084266450945
Despite the loss, Boston maintains a four-game lead on the Raptors in the Eastern Conference after Toronto fell to the Knicks on Wednesday. Boston will look to avoid following their win streak up with a losing streak on Friday when they host Florida’s other team, the Orlando Magic.
