BOSTON — The Celtics slogged through most of their game against the Heat. While they came back to force a close game, they weren’t able to sustain it in a 124-103 blowout loss to the Heat. That ties the Celtics’ largest loss of the season alongside the Lakers loss. The C’s dropped to 56-20 as they saw their nine-game win streak snapped. The Heat improved to 35-41, winning their sixth straight game.
It was a sluggish start for the C’s as the Heat built up a 15-point lead in the first half. While the Celtics tried to cut into the deficit, they didn’t get much momentum going.
The Heat threatened to blow the game open when they went up 22 points early in the third quarter. But that’s when the Celtics punched back, cutting it to a three-point game. The Heat weathered the barrage and C’s comeback attempt well, though, never letting the home team take the lead. By the end of the game, the Heat put the finishing touches on their blowout win.
The C’s were without three rotation players in Jrue Holiday, Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis. That allowed the bench guys to get extra minutes Wednesday.
Jaylen Brown had 24 points and nine rebounds to lead the Celtics. Jayson Tatum added 16 points and seven assists, though he shot poorly. Tyler Herro had 25 points and nine assists for the Heat while Bam Adebayo added 21 points.
The Celtics face the Suns at 7:30 p.m. Friday at TD Garden for their next game. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s loss to Miami:
Coming home: The Celtics looked like a team returning from a long six-game road trip for the majority of the game as they had little juice. That happens as the C’s bounced around the country before finally getting back home Wednesday. While the Celtics played well to show some life in the second half, they couldn’t maintain that gusto. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla called it an early night for the starters with five minutes left and a huge deficit.
Heat looming: Miami looked like its season was in free-fall, but it continues to pick up wins late. The Heat’s six-game win streak means they’re slowly climbing up the East standings. They came into Wednesday’s game at ninth place in the conference, meaning the best they can do is face the No. 1 seed in the playoffs for now. But if they keep stringing together victories, they could again meet the C’s in the first round of the playoffs, much like last year.
Another Kornet game: Luke Kornet got the start Wednesday considering two of the big men in front of him missed the night. Kornet continues to show his value when he gets minutes. This time, it was a 14-point and six-rebound night in his 21 minutes on the court. He dealt with foul trouble, but the Celtics needed that production from their backup big Wednesday.
Bench check: The C’s dipped deeper into their roster Wednesday out of necessity, seeing what they could from their reserves. It was largely a mixed bag aside from late garbage time. Torrey Craig finished with 19 minutes, putting up two points. Baylor Scheierman hit a big 3-pointer and showed energy in his 16 minutes. Neemias Queta also got the backup big minutes, finishing with seven points and seven rebounds.
