He was just 4 for 15 from the 3-point line in his first three games since suffering the injury and, really, his long-range shot has been a struggle for months. After shooting a scorching 42.9 percent from beyond the arc last season, he entered a matchup with the Heat at just 33.7 percent this year.
But Friday provided a reminder of how valuable Holiday could be for the Celtics as they pursue a second consecutive NBA title in the coming months. With Jaylen Brown (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (illness) out, and Jayson Tatum and Derrick White struggling to get untracked, Holiday poured in a season-high 25 points to lead the Celtics to a 103-91 win.
“It felt good to see the ball go in,” Holiday said. “I think that’s for everybody who’s in a situation where they hadn’t seen the ball go in for a minute, and then when you see it goes in, yeah, it feels great.”
Holiday made 10 of 15 shots, including 5 of 8 3-pointers. While he carried the Celtics through the first three quarters, White and a stingy defense took it from there.
White was 0 for 6 from the 3-point line at the start of the fourth quarter, but he has emerged as one of the Celtics’ most reliable closers. And with the score tied at 78 and Tatum on the bench to rest, White drilled a pair of 3-pointers and found Luke Kornet for a layup to give Boston a lead it never relinquished. He scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth.
“This game was a pretty rough three quarters for me,” White said, “so trying to just stay confident and trust that hopefully one will go down. And obviously [in[ the fourth quarter things heighten a little bit. So you’ve just got to be a little bit more locked in, and I was able to make some shots.”
White nearly outscored the Heat in the final period, when Miami was held to 14 points on 5-of-20 shooting. Backup big man Neemias Queta, who came in averaging just 14.4 minutes per game, played the entire fourth quarter and was at the center of Boston’s lockdown defense.
“More than anything I just wanted to be out there and have my teammates’ back,” Queta said. “When guys go to the rim I want to be the guy that tries to contest it late or makes those types of reads defensively. But that’s the main thing, being out there for my teammates to kind of put out the fire.”
Tatum had some uneven stretches and was 8 for 21 from the field with five turnovers, but he still finished with a game-high 28 points. Stretches with Tatum on the bench tend to be uncomfortable for the Celtics. But when he checked out for his normal rest to start the fourth, the Celtics stretched a 78-77 lead to 88-81 by the time he returned, lessening the burden on their superstar.
“Those moments are big, big for our team, big for the growth for us when that second unit can extend a lead or maintain a lead for those four, five, or six minutes, whatever it is,” Tatum said. “Those guys held it down.”
The Heat, who were just 5 for 16 from the 3-point line in the first half, connected on 6 of 9 in the third quarter and led by as many as 5 points. But Tatum began to find his groove later in the period. In the final minute, he hit a 3-pointer and a fadeaway jumper to put Boston back in front.
White’s second three of the fourth, with 9:47 left, gave the Celtics an 86-79 lead. And at the other end, Boston’s defense demoralized Miami, which was held to just 4 points over the first seven minutes. Queta, whose length and versatility create challenges for opposing offenses, never left the court.
“Neemy at his best does an amazing job of being able to change coverages,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “He can switch, he can play in touch, does a great job of protecting the rim and he can guard shooters.
“So you kind of saw a little bit of all of that. He had some one-on-one matchups with Andrew Wiggins, he got a couple in-traffic rebounds that helped us, and he was able to protect the rim on some stuff. So just really we saw his versatility in the fourth quarter.”
Adam Himmelsbach can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @adamhimmelsbach.
