BBNBA: Adebayo, Herro combine for 45 in Game 2 upset of top-seeded Celtics

You know the old saying: live by the three, die by the three. The Miami Heat took that to heart, putting its postseason life on the line Wednesday night by firing off 43 three-pointers. And thanks to a postseason franchise-high of 23 makes, Miami is right back in this series against the top-seeded Boston Celtics.

The Heat erased Boston’s homecourt advantage, winning Game 2 in Boston by a final score of 111-101 and knotting the series at 1-1 as the venue now shifts to South Beach. Tyler Herro nailed six of Miami’s 23 shots from beyond the arc, totaling 24 points, 14 assists, and five rebounds in the victory. Bam Adebayo chipped in 21 points and 10 rebounds on 9-13 shooting in 40 minutes for the Heat.

45 combined points from a pair of former ‘Cats in their biggest win of the season? These are the things we love to see.

Boston, which led the NBA in the regular season with 64 wins, cruised in Game 1, winning convincingly 114-94. With Miami’s star player Jimmy Butler still on the mend, this series was quickly trending toward a sweep going into Game 2. But Miami’s 53.5 percent mark deep was more than enough to cancel out a combined 61 points from All-Star wings Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

Games 3 and 4 will take place in Miami. Butler, who is dealing with an MCL injury, isn’t expected to come back even if this series goes seven games. It might take a repeat three-point barrage from Herro and Co. to steal another game off the Celtics, but if there’s one thing we know about the Miami franchise, they know how to win in unprecedented ways.

SGA’s 33 points fuel OKC’s blowout win

Game 1 of the Western Conference Playoffs between the 1-seed Oklahoma City Thunder and 8-seed New Orleans Pelicans came down to the final minute. Some clutch shots from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and a timely defensive stop from rookie Cason Wallace allowed OKC to hold onto homecourt with a 94-92 win.

Game 2 was entirely different. There would be no drama down the stretch. OKC looked like the more dominant team early on and ultimately cruised to the 124-92 victory. Gilgeous-Alexander led the way with 33 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals. The MVP candidate shot 13-19 from the field and 3-5 from deep after an 11-24 mark from the field in Game 1. Wallace added two points, three rebounds, and three assists in his 18 minutes of action.

As the youngest team in the Playoffs, OKC isn’t viewed as a traditional 1-seed. The Pelicans missing All-Star forward Zion Williamson certainly helps the Thunder’s chances, but Game 2 was a statement victory. OKC now holds a 2-0 series lead as we shift to New Orleans for Games 3 and 4.

4/24/24 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC)	124-92 W vs. NOP	33	13-19 (3-5)	3	5	2	0	2	24	35
Tyler Herro (MIA)	111-101 W @ BOS	24	7-13 (6-11)	5	14	1	0	3	21	38
Bam Adebayo (MIA)	111-101 W @ BOS	21	9-13 (0-1)	10	2	0	0	0	20	40
Cason Wallace (OKC)	124-92 W vs. NOP	2	1-2 (0-1)	3	3	0	0	0	19	18

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

EC Round 1 | Game 3 | CLE leads 2-0
7:00 (NBA TV): [4] Cavaliers @ [5] Magic

EC Round 1 | Game 3 | NYK leads 2-0
7:30 (TNT/truTV): [2] Knicks (Randle: out) @ [7] 76ers (Maxey)

WC Round 1 | Game 3 | DEN leads 2-0
10:00 (TNT/truTV): [2] Nuggets (Murray) @ [7] Lakers (Davis, Vanderbilt: out)