Celtics vs. Heat score, results: Jimmy Butler's 41-point performance leads Miami to Game 1 win in Eastern Conference Finals

Gilbert McGregor

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Celtics vs. Heat score, results: Jimmy Butler's 41-point performance leads Miami to Game 1 win in Eastern Conference Finals image

Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals was a doozy.

After getting out to a slow start, the Heat outscored the Celtics by 25 points in the third quarter on the way to a 118-107 Game 1 win.

Jimmy Butler led the way for Miami with 41 points, nine rebounds, five assists, four steals and three blocks while Tyler Herro scored 18 points off the bench.

MORE: Predictions and expert picks for Eastern Conference Finals

The Celtics, who were without starters Al Horford and Marcus Smart, were led by 29 points from Jayson Tatum, who was also forced to commit seven turnovers. Jaylen Brown largely struggled in this one but finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists.

After one day of rest, these two teams will be back in action in Game 2 on Thursday, May 19 at 8:30 p.m ET.

The Sporting News tracked all of the action from Game 1. Catch up below.

Celtics vs. Heat score

Game 1 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
Celtics 28 34 14 31 107
Heat 25 29 39 25 118

Celtics vs. Heat live results, highlights from Game 1

(All times Eastern)

Final: Heat 118, Celtics 107

11:24 p.m. — That'll do it at FTX Arena. The Heat take a 1-0 series lead after a strong third-quarter turned things around.

Jimmy Butler scored 41 points in the game, Tyler Herro added 18 points and Gabe Vincent notched a new postseason career-high with 17 points.

11:15 p.m. — With 3:29 remaining in regulation, the Heat lead 109-99.

Jimmy Butler's now up to a game-high 37 points to go along with eight rebounds, four assists, four steals and two blocks. His efforts have been a steadying force for Miami as Boston looks to stage a late-game rally.

Jaylen Brown, who has mostly struggled in this one, is coming on strong as of late and is up to 19 points.

11:05 p.m. — The Heat respond.

With 6:02 left in the fourth quarter, Miami leads 104-92.

As Boston began to chip away, Miami head coach Erik Spoelstra put his closers back in the game with aim of getting the job done. Jimmy Butler, who is up to 33 points in the game, has led the unit that is keeping the Heat in command.

10:57 p.m. — Boston isn't going away.

The Celtics are chipping away at the deficit in hopes of turning things around. Boston has outscored Miami 10-3 in the fourth to cut the deficit to 10.

With 8:11 remaining in regulation, the Heat lead 96-86.

Timeout on the floor.

End of Third Quarter: Heat 93, Celtics 76

10:39 p.m. — Yes, you're reading the score correctly.

The Heat outscored the Celtics 39-14 in the third quarter to get out to a 17-point lead in this one.

Jimmy Butler is up to a game-high 31 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Butler is making a living at the line, where he's 15 of 16 for the game.

Gabe Vincent is doing a bit of everything, too.

The Celtics have cooled off in a major way as they're now shooting just 5 of 21 (23.8 percent) from 3-point range. Jayson Tatum is leading the way for Boston with 26 points.

10:36 p.m. — Jimmy. Butler.

10:23 p.m. — Jimmy Butler keeps stealing the ball and dunking in transition.

He's got 25 points and three steals and the FTX Arena crowd is going wild.

10:16 p.m. — The Heat have completely shifted the momentum in this one as they're now on an 18-2 run to start the half, courtesy of a breakaway dunk from Max Strus.

Miami leads 72-64 with 6:16 remaining in the third.

The presence of P.J. Tucker has been a catalyst for Miami's turnaround while Boston has yet to hit a field goal in the second half.

The Celtics could be hitting a wall after playing in an emotional game two days ago.

10:06 p.m. — The Heat are out to a 10-1 run to opeen the second half and have taken the lead.

Miami is up 64-63 less than three minutes into the third quarter.

10:00 p.m. — After exiting with an apparent ankle injury, P.J. Tucker is back on the floor to start the second half.

A huge update for the Heat.

Halftime: Celtics 62, Heat 54

9:43 p.m. — Boston takes an eight-point lead into the half thanks in large part to Jayson Tatum, who's up to 21 points (on 9-of-14 shooting), five assists and four rebounds in the game.

Tatum is one of three Celtics in double figures as Robert Williams III is up to 12 points on perfect 5-of-5 shooting and Payton Pritchard has added 10 points off the bench.

For the Heat, Tyler Herro is leading the way with 15 points (on 7-of-13 shooting) off the bench.

Jimmy Butler has 14 points (on 4-of-8 shooting) but Bam Adebayo has been quiet, scoring just six points on two shot attempts.

9:29 p.m. — Timeout on the floor as Heat forward P.J. Tucker hobbles off with an apparent injury in his lower right leg.

The Celtics lead 43-32.

More to come on Tucker's status for the remainder of the game.

9:23 p.m. — The Celtics' defense is back to making life difficult for the Heat.

Boston has put together a quick 9-0 run to take a 41-30 lead over Miami with 7:34 remaining in the half.

Jayson Tatum and Robert Williams III lead the way with 12 points apiece and the Celtics are shooting 17 of 31 (54.8 percent) from the field on the night.

End of First Quarter: Celtics 28, Heat 25

9:12 p.m. — At the end of one, the Celtics hold a three-point lead.

Jayson Tatum leads all scorers with 10 points (on 5-of-8 shooting), while Robert Williams III is up to a quick eight points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting.

The Heat are led by seven points from Tyler Herro. Jimmy Butler added six points in the opening frame.

9:05 p.m. — After trailing by as many as nine points, the Heat are right back in it.

With 2:40 remaining in the first quarter, it's all tied up at 21.

Tyler Herro and Miami's second unit have led the resurgence. Herro is up to five points, three assists and two rebounds in just over four minutes of action.

Miami is on a 15-7 run since Herro checked in.

8:55 p.m. — The Celtics' defense has been relentless to start, and they're out to a 14-6 lead over the Heat early on.

Led by six points from Jayson Tatum, Boston is shooting 5 of 10 from the field while Miami has been held to 3 of 10 shooting early on.

8:46 p.m. — Grant Williams is picking up where he left off in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. His 3-pointer gets the Celtics on the board first.

Game on.

Pregame

8:00 p.m. — Starting for the Heat: Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Jimmy Butler, PJ Tucker and Bam Adebayo.

7:50 p.m. — Starting for the Celtics: Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Grant Williams and Robert Williams III.

6 p.m. — Each team will be without its starting point guard in Game 1. The Heat will be without Kyle Lowry because of a left hamstring strain, and Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart is out with a right mid-foot sprain. Additionally, the Celtics will be missing Al Horford, who has entered the league's health and safety protocols.

Celtics vs. Heat series schedule

Here is the full schedule for the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals.

Date Game Time (ET)
May 17 Game 1: Heat 118, Celtics 107  
May 19 Game 2 8:30 p.m.
May 21 Game 3 8:30 p.m.
May 23 Game 4 8:30 p.m.
May 25 Game 5* 8:30 p.m.
May 27 Game 6* 8:30 p.m.
May 29 Game 7* 8:30 p.m.

*If necessary

Gilbert McGregor

Gilbert McGregor Photo

Gilbert McGregor first joined The Sporting News in 2018 as a content producer for Global editions of NBA.com. Before covering the game, McGregor played basketball collegiately at Wake Forest, graduating with a Communication degree in 2016. McGregor began covering the NBA during the 2017-18 season and has been on hand for a number of league events.