For the second straight night, it was the Celtics defense that proved to be the difference in their 95-78 win over Miami.
The Heat had only been held below 100 points once on the year, and Boston was able to hold them below 80. The Celtics gained their separation in the second quarter by winning the period 33-9 to head into halftime with a 16-point lead.
Jaylen Brown once again led the way offensively before exiting the game late with a hamstring injury. Brown finished with a team-high 17 points, while the Celtics struggled as a team from the field.
The Celtics bench proved to be the difference, as Aaron Nesmith finally showed his NBA Summer League form after getting another shot. The Vanderbilt product had been out of the rotation in the previous four contests, but that didn’t stop him from igniting the second-quarter run and going 3-5 from three to finish with 13 points.
Dennis Schroder and Romeo Langford combined for 26 points off the pine, while Miami’s bench managed just 20 total points.
The second half saw the Celtics in cruise control, with the only worrisome moment coming when Brown exited the game and did not return.
Here's a closer look at the play that sent Jaylen Brown to the locker room with right hamstring tightness pic.twitter.com/13e7AuFPhi
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 5, 2021
The Celtics improved to 4-5 with the win, and have now won back-to-back games for the second time this season. Up next for Boston is a visit to Dallas on Saturday.
Here is a look at how the Celtics performed on an individual level in the win:
