The Boston Celtics staged their biggest comeback of the season Friday night, erasing a 22-point deficit to defeat the Miami Heat 98–96 at TD Garden and extend their winning streak to five games.
Jaylen Brown led the charge with 29 points, while Payton Pritchard provided a major spark off the bench with 24 points. Derrick White added 21 points — including a clutch corner three-pointer with 1:31 remaining that proved to be the difference — despite shooting 6-for-20 from the field.
Boston’s rally came after a difficult start on both ends of the floor. The Celtics shot just 28% in the first half and struggled from beyond the arc, missing 20 of their first 21 three-point attempts. Miami capitalized early, jumping out to a 15–2 lead and building a commanding advantage that reached 22 points before taking a 59–38 lead into halftime.
The game shifted dramatically in the third quarter.
Trailing 67–49, Boston caught fire and closed the period on a 25–7 run over the final 7:06. White and Pritchard ignited the comeback with back-to-back three-pointers, and Pritchard knocked down another triple coming out of a timeout to cut the deficit to single digits. White later gave Boston its first lead of the night by hitting two free throws to break a 72–72 tie with 9.1 seconds left in the quarter, though Miami’s Norman Powell answered with a buzzer-beating layup to send the game into the fourth tied at 74–74.
Boston’s perimeter shooting ultimately made the difference. After their cold start, the Celtics connected on nine of their final 15 three-point attempts to complete the comeback.
Nikola Vučević made an encouraging debut for Boston after being acquired at the trade deadline, recording a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The 35-year-old veteran received a warm reception from the TD Garden crowd, including chants of “Voooch!” after scoring inside during the third-quarter surge.
Miami had one last opportunity to steal the game in the closing seconds, but Davion Mitchell’s corner three-point attempt with 2.7 seconds remaining missed the mark.
Andrew Wiggins led the Heat with 26 points, while All-Star Norman Powell added 24. Despite controlling much of the first half, Miami could not withstand Boston’s second-half momentum swing.
With the victory, Boston completed a three-game season sweep of Miami. The Heat will travel to Washington on Sunday, while the Celtics return home to host the New York Knicks.
