Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum celebrates after a basket during the second half of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat at FTX Arena. Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

Celtics blow out Heat in Game 2 to even Eastern Conference Finals

By Adam Stites | Last updated 5/19/22

The Boston Celtics cruised to a dominant, 127-102 victory in Game 2 against the Miami Heat to even the Eastern Conference Finals at one game apiece.

Miami jumped out to an 18-8 lead early in the game, but Boston flipped the script with a 24-3 run in the first quarter. The Celtics continued to pour it on, leading by 25 at halftime and pushing the lead to as many as 34 in the fourth quarter.

The Celtics' Jayson Tatum scored 27 points in the win and both Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart added 24 points each. Smart, who had 12 assists and three steals, finished one rebound shy of a triple-double.

YUP pic.twitter.com/cP3BoxOgjm
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) May 20, 2022

Boston was without Smart and Al Horford in Game 1, and struggled to slow down Jimmy Butler and the Heat offense in a 118-107 loss. Butler still led all scorers in Game 2 with 29 points, but Miami couldn't keep up with the Celtics who shot 51.8% from the field and 51.3% from behind the 3-point arc.

The series will now head to Boston for Game 3, which is scheduled to tip at 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

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