The Miami Heat (8) defeated the Boston Celtics (2) Friday night at TD Garden in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference finals in the 2023 NBA Playoffs to take a 2-0 series lead. Jimmy Butler got the last laugh over Grant Williams, who decided to poke the bear late in the fourth quarter.
Butler, 33, and Williams, 24, clashed heads when the latter talked trash to the former following a made triple over him, but the Heat star went right back at the Celtics bench player.
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Following the altercation, which occurred after Williams fouled Butler on a made jumper, Miami went on a 24-9 scoring run to finish Game 2 with a six-point victory.
Butler finished the night with 27 points on 12-for-25 shooting from the floor. He missed his only attempt from deep, but added three steals and two blocks. Williams only scored nine points.
Caleb Martin contributed to the victory with 25 points off the bench, while Bam Adebayo added 22 points and 17 rebounds.
Celtics in trouble after blowing lead
Celtics superstars Jayson Tatum (34) and Jaylen Brown (16) combined for 50 points, but went cold in the final frame, allowing the visitors to complete the come-from.behind win.
Tatum, 25, shot 3-for-10 from beyond the arc, adding 13 rebounds and eight assists.
Brown, 26, went 1-for-7 from outside the perimeter and mustered just four rebounds and three assists. Robert Williams scored 13 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 13 more off the bench. Derrick White, part of the three-man bench rotation by head coach Joe Mazzulla, put up 11 points.
Boston is in trouble as the Eastern Conference finals head to Miami for Game 3 & Game 4, starting Sunday. The only postseason home loss for the Heat was in the play-in tournament against the Atlanta Hawks.
