Jimmy Butler scored 41 points (17 alone in the third) and the Miami Heat beat the Marcus Smart and Al Horford-less Boston Celtics 118-107 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday night. Jayson Tatum scored 29 points, Jaylen Brown added 24 for Boston. Game 2 is set for Thursday.
After a disappointing loss to the Miami Heat, the Boston Celtics small forward Jaylen Brown talked about playing Game 1 without starters Marcus Smart (foot) and Al Horford (health and safety protocols): “We definitely wasn’t prepared to be without Al and Smart. It’s not an excuse, we gotta be better.”
