In the most stunning result of the playoffs so far, the Miami Heat went into Boston and made a franchise-record 23 3-pointers to steal Game 2 from the Celtics and even their first-round series at 1-1. Now, the action will shift to Miami for a pivotal Game 3 on Saturday night.
The Celtics remain heavy favorites in this series, but the Heat showed in Game 2 that it may not be as easy for the No. 1 seed as everyone expected. Can the Celtics regain control and homecourt advantage? Or will Erik Spoelstra and Co. have another trick up their sleeve?
Ahead of Game 3, here's everything you need to know:
Celtics vs. Heat Game 3
- Date: Saturday, April 27 | Time: 6 p.m. ET
- Location: Kaseya Center -- Miami, Florida
- TV channel: TNT | Live stream: TNT app
- Odds: Celtics -9.5 | O/U 204.5
Storylines
Celtics: The Celtics had the second-best defense in the league this season, but they didn't show it in Game 2. The Heat were able to have such an incredible night from behind the arc in large part because the Celtics' perimeter pressure and closeouts simply weren't good enough. A team with the likes of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Jayson Tatum can, and should, be much better than they were the other night.
Heat: Jimmy Butler (knee) and Terry Rozier (neck) remain out for the Heat, which means they'll once again need to lean on their defense and 3-point shooting to pull off another upset. The latter seems much more replicable, given that they were a top-five defensive unit this season. It will not be an easy task, however, as the Celtics had a historically great offense this season and will have extra motivation after their loss.
Prediction
The Heat had one of the best 3-point shooting games in playoff history in Game 2 and the Celtics were still right there within five points in the closing minutes. Barring another historic shooting night, it's just hard to see how the Heat keep up without Butler and Rozier. Pick: Celtics -9.5
