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Heat become 5th NBA team to win Game 1 away in each of first 3 playoff series

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated18 May 2023

Miami Heat become 5th NBA team to win Game 1 away in each of first 3 playoff series

The Miami Heat became the fifth NBA team to win Game 1 on the road in each of their first three playoff series this postseason, joining the 1981 Houston Rockets, 1989 Chicago Bulls, 1999 New York Knicks, and 2021 Atlanta Hawks.

The 1981 Rockets and 1999 Knicks advanced to the NBA Finals, but neither team won it.

Miami also earned its 37th clutch time win of the season, tying their own record for most in a season over the last 25 years. The Heat won 37 clutch time games in their 2012-13 championship season.

According to a few NBA betting sites, the Miami Heat have the lowest championship odds among the remaining playoff teams. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Lakers.

In Wednesday night’s 123-116 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, Boston outscored Miami 66-57 in the first half. The Heat then scored 46 points in the third quarter, their most in any quarter in franchise postseason history. Miami outscored them 66-50 in the second half.

Jimmy Butler recorded his second career road playoff game with at least 30 points, five rebounds, five assists, and five steals. The only other player to post those numbers twice on the road since steals were first tracked in 1973-74 was Michael Jordan.

“I’m playing at an incredible level because they are allowing me to do so,” Butler said. “They are not putting a limit on my game. They are trusting me with the ball, on the defensive end. I think that’s what any basketball player wants.”

Heat earn 37th clutch time win of the season, tying their own record for most in a season over the last 25 years; Miami won 37 clutch time games in their 2012-13 championship season

Heat center Bam Adebayo contributed 20 points and eight rebounds. Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, and Gabe Vincent each added 15 points apiece as well. Miami shot an impressive 16-of-31 (51.6%) from 3-point range.

“One of the premier two-way basketball players of this association,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of Jimmy Butler. “That’s what we needed. Down the stretch, Jimmy was able to do everything we needed – as a scorer and as a facilitator.”

This series marks the third time in four seasons the Heat and Celtics have met in the ECF. Boston won last year’s matchup in seven games. After Wednesday night’s Game 1 loss, the Celtics dropped to 4-4 at home this postseason.

Game 2 is Friday night at 8:30 p.m. ET. Sportsbooks show the Celtics as a nine-point favorite against the Heat.

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