Jimmy Butler's 35 points and a scorching third quarter propelled the eighth-seeded Miami Heat to a 123-116 victory over the Celtics on Wednesday in game one of the NBA Eastern Conference finals in Boston.

The Heat erased a 13-point second-quarter deficit to snatch home-court advantage from the Celtics, out-scoring Boston 46-25 in the third period to seize control.

Jayson Tatum, the 51-point hero of Boston's game-seven victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, scored 30 points, but he coughed up two crucial turnovers in the final minutes as the Heat turned the defensive screws.

Butler added five rebounds, seven assists and six steals. Bam Adebayo scored 20 points with eight rebounds and five assists and Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin and Kyle Lowry each scored 15 points for Miami.

Read full story on www.sportsdesk.com.mt

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