Celtics-Heat takeaways: Jaylen Brown is a man on a mission originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
The Boston Celtics' 2022-23 season is off to a perfect start.
After taking down the Philadelphia 76ers on Opening Night, the C's took their talents to South Beach for an Eastern Conference Finals rematch with the Miami Heat. They shot 42.4 percent from 3-point range and 51.9 percent from the floor as they escaped with a 111-104 victory.
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It was a hard-fought win for Boston, but there is plenty to clean up ahead of Saturday's game vs. the Orlando Magic. Specifically, the team will need to cut down on the turnovers as it had 19 of them on the night.
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Here are our takeaways from the Celtics' second win of the campaign.
Another gem from the Jays
The Celtics' superstars have looked outstanding to begin the new season. After dropping 35 points apiece in the Opening Night win over Philly, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum put on a show again in Miami.
Brown started off on fire with nine points, three assists, two rebounds, a steal, and a block in the first quarter. Hot starts have become sort of a trend for the 25-year-old, but he didn't stop there.
Brown went on to shoot 12-for-18 from the floor and finish with 28 points. He stuffed the stat sheet with four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. He'll be a shoo-in for his second NBA All-Star Game if he can maintain anything close to this pace throughout the season.
Tatum, unlike Brown, didn't have the hot hand to start Friday night's game. But when the Celtics needed him most, he answered the call.
The three-time All-Star made clutch plays on both ends of the floor to help seal the gritty win. He tallied a game-high 29 points to go with five rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal. Most importantly, he only turned the ball over twice.
Tatum and Brown are making a statement that they are the best tandem in the NBA. They scored all 20 of the Celtics' points in the first 10:38 of the third quarter. They also made more Celtics history together in Friday's victory, becoming the second C's duo ever to score at least 25 points in each of their team's first two games of a season (per ESPN Stats and Info). They join Robert Parish and Larry Bird, who did it in 1984-85.
Noah Vonleh taking advantage of opportunity
The C's added Vonleh to their roster as a depth piece with big man Robert Williams out to begin the season. The Haverhill, Mass. native wasn't expected to be an impactful rotation player, but that's what he looked like on Friday night.
Vonleh, who spent last season playing in China, immediately provided a spark when he entered the game early on. He provided a highlight-reel play when he hustled to grab an offensive rebound, showed off his spin move, and threw down an emphatic dunk. Shortly after that sequence, he added a blocked shot on the other end.
Vonleh ended up with four points, five boards, and two blocks in 15 minutes. His only blemish was his four fouls. Celtics fans will gladly take that kind of production from a backup big who wasn't a guarantee to even make the team.
Grant Williams is letting his play do the talking
Williams might be seeing dollar signs, but they aren't affecting his vision from beyond the arc. The 23-year-old has responded to his lack of a contract extension by shooting 5-for-7 on 3-pointers through the first two games of the season.
Williams' beloved corner-office 3s were falling on Friday, and they came in the clutch as they helped the C's pull away from the Heat in the third courter.
He finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. That gives him 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting in 49 minutes so far on the year.
Heat go cold without Bam Adebayo
Bam Adebayo was a problem for the Celtics in this one. Miami's All-Star big man was a +17 with 19 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two steals. But the best ability is availability, and he wasn't there when the Heat needed him most in Friday's game.
Miami erased Boston's 12-point lead and pulled ahead in the third quarter, but Adebayo was forced to the bench after getting his fourth foul. That proved to be the difference-maker as the C's pulled back ahead on a 20-6 run and didn't look back.
Adding insult to injury, Brown told Adebayo he was too small after drilling a tough turnaround jumper in his grill.
A tough day at the office for the three-time All-Defensive selection.
