Tatum scorches Heat as Celtics square series

MIAMI: Jayson Tatum scored 27 points as the Boston Celtics roared back to level the NBA Eastern Conference finals series with a 127-102 thrashing of the Miami Heat in Game Two on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Bolstered by the return of Marcus Smart and Al Horford, who both missed Tuesday’s 118-107 Game One drubbing, Boston were a team transformed as they squared the best-of-seven series 1-1.

Boston made only 11-of-34 from three-point range in Tuesday’s lopsided opener, when Miami out-hustled them to claim a decisive victory.

But the Celtics shrugged off that misfiring performance in emphatic fashion, draining 20-of-40 from beyond the arc to overwhelm Miami.

Tatum led the scorers but there were huge contributions throughout the Celtics lineup.

Smart finished with 24 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, while Jaylen Brown also posted 24 points, including 12 from three-point range.

Grant Williams added 19 from the bench, while Horford and Payton Pritchard had 10 points each.

Jimmy Butler led the Miami scoring with 29 points but only three other Heat players made double figures.

Celtics coach Ime Udoka said the return of Smart and Horford had been decisive.

“It was great to have them back, they’re a calming presence,” Udoka said.

“I don’t think we played as poorly as the last game suggested. We won three quarters of that game but we saw a lot of positives and areas that we could attack.”

Smart admitted he had found it hard to sit out game one with a foot injury.

“I felt bad that I couldn’t be out there with my teammates going to battle with them,” Smart said.

“We’re playing a really good Miami team and it’s a blessing to be on the same court going to war. It was tough having to watch it.”

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said his team had expected a Boston backlash.

“I’m sure they weren’t happy about us putting up 118 against them in game one,” Spoelstra said.

“When you get to this stage of the conference finals, you just have very good teams, teams without many weaknesses.

“It’s great competition. But this only counts as one game. We don’t like it. We just have to figure some things out.”

Butler said he hoped the defeat would motivate Miami for Game Three.

“They tried to embarrass us, and they did embarrass us,” Butler said.

A wild first quarter saw Miami pick up where they left off in game one, with Max Strus hitting backto-back three-pointers to leave the Heat ahead by 10 points at 18-8.

But Boston produced a scintillating 17-0 run to turn the quarter on its head, with their long-range shooting vastly improved.

Brown knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the first period to leave the Celtics up by 35-24 heading into the second quarter.