Celtics, Heat Collide For Game 2 On Wednesday
The Boston Celtics will host the Miami Heat at TD Garden on Wednesday in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference quarterfinal-round series. The Celtics lead the series 1-0.
The Celtics didn’t have problems establishing supremacy in the series opener and quickly grabbed a 1-0 lead after a 20-point win on Sunday. Even though Boston had six days of rest to prepare for this matchup, they looked dominant right out of the gate and didn’t give Miami a chance to fight back. Seeing the Celtics win this game easily was not a surprise, however, as the Celtics posted a league-best 37-4 mark at home during the regular season. Considering Boston is at full strength in its starting unit, it would be shocking if the team doesn’t produce a similar display in Game 2 of the series. A healthy 2-0 lead heading to South Beach would go a long way toward the Celtics being able to close the series out as quickly as possible.
The Celtics will be at full strength Wednesday, except for Luke Kornet, who is out with a calf injury and is considered “week-by-week.”
The Heat are doing the best they can in the current playoffs, but in reality, their chances of pulling an upset against the Celtics are slim to none, especially in the games played in Boston. The Heat might be able to steal a win at home if things break the right way for them, but even that scenario looks complicated without two of their best players, Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler. Ultimately, the Heat don’t have the depth, the experience and the quality to go toe-to-toe against Boston in these conditions. The Heat are massive underdogs heading into this Game 2, and a repeat of the series opener, where they lost by 20 points, might not be an unreal scenario.
The Heat are listing Terry Rozier (neck) and Jimmy Butler (knee) as out, while Josh Richardson (shoulder) will miss the rest of the season.
The Celtics didn’t have problems establishing supremacy in the series opener and quickly grabbed a 1-0 lead after a 20-point win on Sunday. Even though Boston had six days of rest to prepare for this matchup, they looked dominant right out of the gate and didn’t give Miami a chance to fight back. Seeing the Celtics win this game easily was not a surprise, however, as the Celtics posted a league-best 37-4 mark at home during the regular season. Considering Boston is at full strength in its starting unit, it would be shocking if the team doesn’t produce a similar display in Game 2 of the series. A healthy 2-0 lead heading to South Beach would go a long way toward the Celtics being able to close the series out as quickly as possible.
The Celtics will be at full strength Wednesday, except for Luke Kornet, who is out with a calf injury and is considered “week-by-week.”
The Heat are doing the best they can in the current playoffs, but in reality, their chances of pulling an upset against the Celtics are slim to none, especially in the games played in Boston. The Heat might be able to steal a win at home if things break the right way for them, but even that scenario looks complicated without two of their best players, Terry Rozier and Jimmy Butler. Ultimately, the Heat don’t have the depth, the experience and the quality to go toe-to-toe against Boston in these conditions. The Heat are massive underdogs heading into this Game 2, and a repeat of the series opener, where they lost by 20 points, might not be an unreal scenario.
The Heat are listing Terry Rozier (neck) and Jimmy Butler (knee) as out, while Josh Richardson (shoulder) will miss the rest of the season.
Pelicans and Thunder Square Off in Game 2
The New Orleans Pelicans take on the Oklahoma City Thunder at Paycom Center on Wednesday night in Game 2 of their Western Conference quarterfinal-round series. The Thunder leads the series, 1-0.
The Pelicans (0-1 postseason) went into Sunday's Game 1 at a significant disadvantage without their best all-around player available, and they nearly pulled off a big series-opening victory before falling by a 94-92 score. Trey Murphy led the Pelicans with 21 points, adding four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal. CJ McCollum furnished 20 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block. Jonas Valanciunas generated a 13-point, 20-rebound double-double that included two assists and one steal. Brandon Ingram supplied 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block.
The Pelicans will remain without Zion Williamson (hamstring) for Wednesday's game.
The Thunder (1-0 postseason) were finally able to separate by six points in the third quarter of Sunday's game, only to nearly blow the modest advantage before escaping with the help of a Chet Holmgren free throw and a McCollum miss on a three-point pullup jumper with 1.1 seconds left. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for OKC with 28 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams totaled 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Holmgren generated a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double that includes two assists, five blocks and one steal.
The Thunder comes into Wednesday's game without any injuries to report.
Wednesday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Thunder has won three of the first four games.
The Pelicans (0-1 postseason) went into Sunday's Game 1 at a significant disadvantage without their best all-around player available, and they nearly pulled off a big series-opening victory before falling by a 94-92 score. Trey Murphy led the Pelicans with 21 points, adding four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and one steal. CJ McCollum furnished 20 points, six assists, three rebounds, two steals and one block. Jonas Valanciunas generated a 13-point, 20-rebound double-double that included two assists and one steal. Brandon Ingram supplied 12 points, six rebounds, three assists and one block.
The Pelicans will remain without Zion Williamson (hamstring) for Wednesday's game.
The Thunder (1-0 postseason) were finally able to separate by six points in the third quarter of Sunday's game, only to nearly blow the modest advantage before escaping with the help of a Chet Holmgren free throw and a McCollum miss on a three-point pullup jumper with 1.1 seconds left. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the way for OKC with 28 points, adding six rebounds and four assists. Jalen Williams totaled 19 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. Holmgren generated a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double that includes two assists, five blocks and one steal.
The Thunder comes into Wednesday's game without any injuries to report.
Wednesday's game marks the fifth meeting between the teams since the start of the regular season. The Thunder has won three of the first four games.