The Boston Celtics played an excellent game in front of their home fans, defeating the Miami Heat convincingly by 118:84.
It was an extremely dominant performance by the Celtics. It was clear before the NBA playoff series started that the absence of Jimmy Butler would be a huge blow to the Miami Heat. The Florida team managed to snatch one win, but that was all they could muster. The fifth game was decided as early as the first quarter.
The home team immediately set the tone of the game, especially on offense, where they had excellent ball movement. In such a scenario, the Boston Celtics were unstoppable, scoring 41 points in the first 12 minutes and taking an 18-point lead after the first quarter. The lead continued to grow until halftime, with the Celtics enjoying a 22-point advantage on the scoreboard after 24 minutes of play.
In the third quarter, the Celtics continued their fantastic performance, denying any chance for the visitors to come back, and the lead kept increasing. The Boston Celtics closed out the game in a routine fashion, finishing with a final margin of +34 in favor of the favored team.
The top scorers for the winning team were Jaylen Brown and Derrick White with 25 points each, while Sam Hauser added 17. On the other side, Bam Adebayo scored 23 points, and Tyler Herro contributed 15.
The Boston Celtics now await the winner of the Cleveland Cavaliers-Orlando Magic series (3-2).