Butler scores 35, Heat rally to beat Celtics 123-116 in East finals opener

BOSTON (AP) — Jimmy Butler scored 35 points, including 20 after halftime, and the Miami Heat rallied in the second half to beat the Boston Celtics 123-116 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Wednesday night.

Miami trailed by nine at the half before turning it around with a franchise playoff-record 46 points in the third and outscoring Boston 66-50 over the final two quarters. It was Butler's fifth game with 30 or more points this postseason and he added seven assists, six steals and five rebounds.

“One of the premier two-way basketball players of this association. ... That’s what we needed.” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Down the stretch Jimmy was able to do everything we needed – as a scorer and as a facilitator.”

Bam Adebayo added 20 points and eight rebounds. Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin and Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all added 15 points apiece. The Heat went 16 of 31 from the 3-point line.

The No. 8-seeded Heat have opened all three playoff series with road victories. Game 2 is Friday in Boston.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points, but didn't take a shot in the fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown finished with 22 points and nine rebounds. Malcolm Brogdon added 19 points.

The Celtics, who are at their best when they're defending and getting up more shots than their opponents, were 10 of 29 from beyond the arc.

“We lost our offensive purpose,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.

The tip-off of Wednesday’s series marked the third time in four seasons that the Heat and Celtics have met in the conference finals. Boston won last year’s matchup in seven games.

Wednesday’s opener felt every bit like a continuation of that most recent meeting. Boston dominated inside early on and led by nine at halftime.

Spoelstra said his team was “more intentional” over the final 24 minutes.

Miami took a page out of the Celtics' book and used a 13-1 run to quickly erase that gap and then nudged back in front in the third quarter, as Butler penetrated to create opportunities for his teammates.

The Heat outscored the Celtics 46-25 in the period and took a 103-91 lead into the fourth, prompting a few boos from the TD Garden crowd.

Boston responded, scoring the first seven points of the final period before a 3-pointer by Vincent ended the run.

Miami led 114-109 with just over three minutes to play when Brogdon was fouled by Butler. But he connected on just 1 of the 2 free throws. Butler was trapped on the next Miami possession before finding Martin for a corner 3.

Tatum travelled, giving the ball back to the Heat. A Miami miss gave the ball back to Boston, but Tatum was called again for travelling.

Miami wound the shot clock down before getting a 3-pointer by Butler to rattle in with 1:03 remaining.

The Celtics let Butler get loose early and he made them pay with 12 first-quarter points.

Boston’s defense tightened in the second and Butler didn’t take another shot until the 5:45 mark, an airball resulting in a shot clock violation. His second attempt of the quarter a few minutes later had the same result. He went into intermission with 15 points.

Meanwhile, the Celtics attacked the rim, outscoring the Heat 40-16 in the paint in the opening 24 minutes – the most allowed by Miami in a half this season. Boston also held an 11-2 advantage in second-chance points.

TIP-INS

Heat: Miami's previous high in the playoffs was 43 points against Charlotte in 2016. … Lowry hit 5 of his first 6 shots, scoring 13 points in his first nine minutes of action. … Butler (12) and Adebayo (6) combined for 18 of Miami’s 28 points in the first quarter. It marked the seventh time Butler has reached double figures in the first period this postseason.

Celtics: Marcus Smart finished with 13 points and 11 assists. … Led 66-57 at halftime. With the score tied at 47, Boston outscored Miami 19-10 over the final 5:26 of the half. … Brown wore his black protective mask after going without it for the final two games of their semifinals matchup with the 76ers. He fractured a facial bone late in the regular season. … New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick was in attendance.

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Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press