Key Points: Jayson Tatum Scores 27, Leads Celtics Past Heat to Tie Series 1-1 in Miami

The Boston Celtics responded in game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals to tie the series at one game apiece. The Celtics blew the Heat out 127-102. After going down 10 points in the opening minutes of game 2 Celtics’ Head Coach Ime Udoka had a simple message for his team.

“Wake up,” is what Coach Ume Udoka told his team during a timeout.

Waking up is exactly what the Celtics did. The Celtics won the game by 25 points. They also were up on the Heat by 25 points at halftime. The Celtics shot the ball at a blistering pace. At one point in the first quarter they went on a 17-0 run. During that 17-0 run they knocked down five three-pointers in six possessions. From there the game was broke open and the Celtics never relinquished the lead the rest of the game. Coach Udoka spoke on his team’s resolve and their mindset coming into game 2 after losing game 1 on Tuesday.

“Guys have pride and looked at a golden opportunity that we kind of lost (in Game 1) and thought we could do much better,” Udoka said. “And we did that tonight.”

Jayson Tatum led the way for the Celtics. Tatum scored 27 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field. Tatum knocked down 4-for-6 from the three-point line. He also grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists on the night. Tatun spoke postgame about his reaction to his team’s performance in game 2.

“I was proud of the way we responded,” Tatum stated.

More Celtics Contributions

• Marcus Smart scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and 12 assists.
• Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and dished out three assists.
• Al Horford scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists.
• Grant Williams scored 19 points and grabbed four rebounds off the bench.
• Payton Pritchard scored 10 points, grabbed two rebounds, and dished out two assists.

The Celtics now travel home to Boston for game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Tip-off is at 8:30 pm on Saturday, 5/22 from the TD Garden.