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Hugo Gonzalez, Norman Powell get heated during Celtics-Heat clash
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- Hugo Gonzalez, Norman Powell get heated during Celtics-Heat clash
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It was a wild ride at TD Garden Friday night, with the Boston Celtics rallying from 22 points down to beat the Miami Heat 98-96, featuring a heated moment between Boston rookie Hugo Gonzalez and Miami All-Star Norman Powell .
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Early in the fourth quarter, the two players battled for a loose ball, resulting in a shoving exchange that drew attention from both benches. Powell, recently returning from a three-game absence, confronted Gonzalez with a pointed, "What's up?" The confrontation ended as the two were quickly split up.
The game was a tale of two halves. The Celtics were abysmal offensively early, shooting just 1 of 20 from three-point range and scoring only 38 points in the first half. Boston opened the second quarter behind 42-22 after a slow start, including a 13-2 deficit in the opening three minutes. Meanwhile, the Heat, missing Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier , got off to a strong start behind Norman Powell, Andrew Wiggins , and Bam Adebayo . Wiggins led Miami with 26 points on 10 of 16 shooting, adding six rebounds and two steals. Powell contributed 24 points on 9 of 15 shooting, along with three rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
The Celtics turned the game around in the third quarter, outscoring the Heat 36-15. Jaylen Brown led the comeback with 29 points, Derrick White scored 21 points and made four crucial blocks, while Payton Pritchard scored 24 off the bench. Newly acquired Nikola Vucevic made an immediate impact in his debut with Boston, recording 11 points and 12 rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. Boston also hit 5 of 7 three-pointers in the third, with White hitting a clutch three-pointer following a steal to help tie the game. The Celtics' bench contribution, including Baylor Scheierman 's +17 plus-minus, was crucial in the comeback.
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Miami kept the game close despite the third-quarter collapse, with Adebayo scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. The Heat's bench, however, failed to provide consistent support, with Nikola Jovic going 0-for-5 in six minutes and the four-man unit of Jaquez Jr., Dru Smith , Simone Fontecchio , and Kel'el Ware producing minimal impact. Late-game misses by Davion Mitchell allowed Boston to maintain their two-point lead in the final seconds. White finished the defensive stop by blocking Mitchell with 32 seconds remaining.
Boston improved to 34-18, stretching their winning streak to five games, while the Heat fell to 27-26, now 0-3 against the Celtics this season. Boston will host the New York Knicks on Sunday, and the Heat will travel to Washington to face the Wizards
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