Heat vs. Celtics Takeaways: Tyler Herro's Bounce Back Game Pushes Miami To Victory

Anthony Pasciolla | Apr 24, 2024

Apr 24, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) drives to the basket; Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports / David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Heat found victory at TD Garden on Wednesday night in Game 2 against the Boston Celtics, 111-101.

Here's a look at three major takeaways:

1. Tyler Herro's bounce back performance pushed the Heat to victory.

Crumbling in Game 1 of the series was a poor look for Herro, who was expected to step up in the absence of Jimmy Butler. However, the former Sixth Man of the Year brought a different level of energy to Wednesday's victory. He finished the evening with 24 points, 14 assists (career-high), and five rebounds on 53.8 percent shooting and 6 of 11 shooting from the arc. This stellar showing from three-point range played a major part in the Heat posting a franchise postseason record of 23 three-pointers.

2. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown's strong outings were outshined by the lack of success from Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

All signs pointed to a dominant game from Tatum in the first quarter, but he couldn't find his rhythm the rest of the night. Despite this, the five-time All-Star tallied 28 points and eight rebounds on 10 of 20 shooting while Brown recorded 33 points and eight rebounds on a -22 plus/minus. Meanwhile, Porzingis and Holiday failed to deliver, combining for 15 points on 5 of 21 shooting. Postgame, coach Joe Mazzulla acknowledged that struggles are just another part of the game.

"It's unfortunate that losing a game is adversity. It's just the nature of the playoffs is [the] adverse itself," Mazzulla said. "To think that you're not going to have ups and downs throughout a run, you're not being realistic."

3. Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic are the Heat's X-factors.

Outside of Herro and center Bam Adebayo needing to deliver on a nightly basis, Martin and Jovic are the keys to triumph. Martin's explosive scoring stretches, paired with the balanced playstyle of Jovic, are crucial when performed at a high frequency. Martin concluded the game with 21 points on 5 of 6 shooting from three-point range while Jovic scored 11 points along with nine rebounds, six assists, and three steals.

Anthony Pasciolla is a contributing writer to Inside The Heat. He can be reached at ampasciolla@gmail.com or followed on Instagram @anthony.pasciolla

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