Cs hang onto home court aspirations with 112-102 win over Miami
The Boston Celtics maintained a tenuous grasp on their home court aspirations with a close win over the Miami Heat Wednesday night, a win which may have doomed the Heat's chances of being fodder for the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round.
For now, at least, the Cs sit in a tie with the Indiana Pacers, who they will face in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals, but, despite the 112-102 victory, the game was close until the very end.
Big nights from Gordon Hayward (25 points, 8 boards and 5 assists off the bench to lead the team), Kyrie Irving (23 points), Al Horford (21 points and 8 boards), and Jayson Tatum (16 points and 7 rebounds) made the difference, with a double-double (10 points and rebounds each) for Aron Baynes to seal the deal.
For Miami's part, several players assumed to be sitting were made active just hours before tip off -- including Justise Winslow, Rodney McGruder, and Josh Richardson -- but it didn't get the job done despite Dion Waiters scoring 21 points and 5 dishes while Hassan Whiteside put up 18 of his own with 15 boards to boot, and Dwyane Wade doing his best to turn back the clock with a 17-point, 7 rebound and 6 assist night.
Boston next faces the Pacers for the game that will almost certainly decide home court between the two teams this Friday, April 5 at 7pm EST, injecting a little excitement into the tail end of an otherwise disappointing season.
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