Up three heading into the fourth quarter Friday evening, the Celtics confirmed a hype video starring Isaiah Thomas on the TD Backyard Jumbotron.
Thomas, whose late-game exploits throughout his temporary however memorable Boston tenure earned him the nickname “The King within the Fourth,” was again on the town for the Celtics’ celebration of one in all his best video games: 52 factors, together with 29 within the ultimate quarter, in a Dec. 30, 2016 win over the Miami Warmth.
With Thomas watching from a courtside seat alongside workforce proprietor Invoice Chisholm, Boston’s shooters did the previous fan favourite proud.
The Celtics buried the undermanned Warmth beneath an avalanche of 3-pointers, going 10-for-15 from past the arc within the fourth quarter to show a good recreation right into a 129-116 victory.
Sam Hauser supplied 4 of these 10 threes, together with back-to-back makes to open the quarter. Derrick White and Jaylen Brown every buried two, with Anfernee Simons and Hugo Gonzalez including one apiece. The IT-esque eruption helped Boston overcome a lopsided shot margin — the Warmth tried 20 extra discipline targets within the recreation — created by Miami’s efficient offensive rebounding.
“We will play so many alternative methods,” Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla stated. “And I believed tonight, it was like, we’re going to win the sport with our offense due to how good their protection is. If we are able to generate benefits, and if we are able to put them in matchup conditions, I feel that’ll put them on their heels just a little bit.”
Total, the Celtics shot 48.8% from 3-point vary within the win, together with extremely environment friendly efforts from White (9-for-14, 30 factors) and Hauser (5-for-6, 15 factors). White additionally had six assists, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks and was a plus-27 in one in all his finest video games of the season so far.
Brown scored 24 of his 30 factors after halftime, going 9-for-18 from the sector, 2-for-4 from three and 10-for-11 from the foul line.
The Celtics snapped a two-game win streak and improved to 16-12. They’ll go to the Toronto Raptors on Saturday. Miami fell to 15-13.
The Warmth, who gained in Brooklyn the earlier evening to snap a five-game shedding streak, had been enjoying with out 5 rotation gamers, together with starters Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell. The Celtics had been at full energy outdoors of rehabbing famous person Jayson Tatum, with Hauser returning after leaving Monday’s loss to Detroit with an ankle sprain.
The Celtics led 30-29 after the primary quarter regardless of making an attempt 9 fewer discipline targets than Miami.
Josh Minott sparked a 7-0 Boston run when he, after turning the ball over on the different finish, stole a Warmth move and transformed a fast-break layup. A minute later, Minott snatched the ball away from Jaime Jacquez Jr. and flipped a move to White as he was crusing out of bounds. White dished to a trailing Gonzalez, who posterized Jacquez with a two-handed dunk.
What a play 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/njFakUSUx1
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 20, 2025
The Warmth continued to manage the glass within the second quarter, serving to them construct an eight-point lead. However Boston rallied to tie the sport at 58-58 coming into halftime — regardless of permitting Miami to seize 11 offensive rebounds and maintain a 17-shot edge in field-goal makes an attempt.
With Brown largely quiet within the first half, White spearheaded the Celtics’ scoring with 19 factors on 6-of-12 taking pictures earlier than the break, plus three blocks on the different finish. He’s the one Celtics participant within the play-by-play period (since 1996-97) to make 5 3-pointers and block three photographs in a primary half, which he’s now completed twice.
Officiating was a degree of rivalry for Boston within the first half. Brown picked up a technical foul for arguing a first-quarter whistle that went towards Minott, and head coach Joe Mazzulla accosted referee Jacyn Goble over what he considered as uncalled contact on a Gonzalez layup. Gonzalez additionally protested the no-call, arguing that fellow rookie Kasparas Jakucionis swatted his arm on the transition bucket.
Pritchard additionally had phrases with a member of Zach Zarba’s officiating crew after he was hip-checked to the parquet whereas combating for a free ball simply earlier than halftime.
The third quarter adopted the same script to the second: Miami constructing a seven-point benefit, and Boston responding. Simons scored two go-ahead baskets within the interval, hitting a trailer 3-pointer off a Pritchard feed and a working layup after a Brown steal. White additionally knocked down two extra threes.
After being held to 6 factors earlier than halftime, Brown poured in 15 within the third, together with a layup in visitors that put Boston up 92-89 heading into the fourth.
Hauser’s rapid-fire threes to open the fourth, sandwiched round Gonzalez’s second steal of the evening, gave the Celtics their largest lead of the sport. Miami by no means recovered. Boston led by double digits for the ultimate 9 minutes, its lead peaking at 19 factors as its threes rained down.
The Celtics made only one fourth-quarter sub earlier than rubbish time, subbing Brown in for middle Neemias Queta after constructing a 115-102 lead with six minutes remaining. (Queta took two onerous falls underneath Miami’s basket in third quarter however remained within the recreation.) Hauser, Simons and Gonzalez — all difference-makers off the bench for Boston — every performed the ultimate 17-plus minutes of the sport.
Hauser and Simons each had been plus-13 within the win. Gonzalez was plus-22 in his 29 minutes, tallying 10 factors, eight rebounds, two steals and one block.
