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Boston Celtics (50-25) at Miami Heat (40-36)
Wednesday, April 1, 2026
7:30 PM ET
TV: ESPN, NBCSB, FDSN Sun
Regular Season Game #76 Road Game #39
Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WQAM 104.3, Sirius XM
Kaseya Center 
Probable Celtics Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Derrick White
SG: Jaylen Brown
SF: Sam Hauser
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Neemias Queta
Celtics ReservesPayton Pritchard
Hugo Gonzalez
Luka Garza
Amare Williams
Jordan Walsh
Baylor Scheierman
Max Shulga
John Tonje
Charles Bassey (10-Day)
2-Way PlayersRon Harper, Jr
Injuries/OutNikola Vucevic (finger) out
Ron Harper, Jr (ankle) questionable
Head CoachJoe Mazzulla
Probable Heat Starters PG
SG
SF
PF
C
PG: Davion Mitchell
SG: Tyler Herro
SF: Pelle Larsson
PF: Andrew Wiggins
C: Bam Adebayo
Miami Heat Reserves Kasparas Jakucionis
Myron Gardner
Jaime Jaquez, Jr
Keshad Johnson
Nikola Jovic
Dru Smith
Kel'el Ware
Simone Fontecchio
2-Way Players Trevor Keels
Vladislav Goldin
Jahmir Young
Injuries/Out Norman Powell (illness) out
Terry Rozier III (not injury related) out
Andrew Wiggins (toe) questionable
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra
Game Notes The Celtics continue their road trip with a stop in Miami to take on the Heat. This is the 4th, and final, game between them this season. The Celtics won 129-116 in Boston on December 19. They won 119-114 in Miami on January 15. And, they won 98-96 in Boston on February 6. The Celtics won the series 3-1 last season. They won the two games played in Miami and won one and lost one in Boston. The Celtics are 89-54 overall all time against the Heat and they are 43-30 in games played in Miami.
The Celtics are 2nd in the East, 4 games behind 1st place Detroit. They are 2 games ahead of 3rd place New York, 3 games ahead of 4th place Cleveland, 7.5 games ahead of 5th place Toronto and 6th place Atlanta, and 9 games ahead of 7th place Philadelphia. The Celtics are 31-15 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 24-14 on the road and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a loss in their last game. (The Knicks, Pistons, Hornets, Cavaliers and Magic are still playing as I post this).
The Heat are 9th in the East, 14.5 games behind 1st place Detroit, 3 games behind 5th place Toronto and 6th place Atlanta, and 1.5 games behind 5th place Philadelphia. They are They are tied with 8th place Orlando and half a game ahead of 10th place Charlotte. They are 24-22 against Eastern Conference opponents. They are 24-14 at home and 3-7 in their last 10 games. They are coming off a win in their last game.
After completing a 3 game home stand, The Celtics are on the road for a 4 game trip that began with a win in Charlotte and a loss in Atlanta and will finish up in Milwaukee. They will then play two games at home against Toronto and Charlotte before one game on the road at New York. They will finish the season with 2 games at home against New Orleans and Orlando.
The Heat are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game home stand. They beat Philadelphia on Monday and will complete the home stand on Saturday against Washington. They then play 2 games in a row in Toronto before a game at Washington. They will finish the season at home against Miami.
After missing Monday's game against Atlanta, both Jayson Tatum and Neemias Queta are off the injury report. Nikola Vucevic remains out as he rehabs from surgery on his index finger. Ron Harper, Jr is questionable with an ankle sprain. For Miami, Norman Powell is out for the 3rd straight game due to an upper-respiratory illness. Andrew Wiggins is questionable with a toe injury. Terry Rozier is out after being arrested for a gambling scandal.
Key Matchups vs
Jaylen Brown vs Tyler Herro
Herro is averaging 21.6 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 3.8 assists while shooting 48.6% from the field and 38.1% from beyond the arc. Herro is streaky but can put up points in a hurry. He played in just one of the 3 games between these teams this season. He finished with 22 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 3 steals while shooting 60% from the field and 57.1% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to be ready to defend him both in the interior and on the perimeter and need to do better than they did in that last game.
vs
Neemias Queta vs Bam Adebayo
Adebayo is averaging 20.1 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.6% from beyond the arc. In the first 2 games against the Celtics, he averaged 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field and 31.0% from beyond the arc. In 3 games against the Celtics this season, he averaged 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 42.2% from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him out of the paint and off the boards.
Honorable MentionJayson Tatum vs Andrew Wiggins
Wiggins is averaging 15.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game. He is shooting 47.5% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. He didn't play in the first game against the Celtics but in the other two games, he averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists while shooting 57.7% from the field and 61.5% from beyond the arc. He is a good shooter and so the Celtics need to defend him well. He is questionable for this game and if he can't play, then Simone Fontecchio may get the start here.
Keys to the Game Defense - Defense will always be the biggest key to winning every single game. The Celtics are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.5. The Heat are 9th with a defensive rating of 112.7. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter since the Heat attempt 37.7 threes a game and shoot threes at 35.7%. They also have to defend the paint as the Heat are 3rd with 54.5 points in the paint per game. The Celtics need to work harder than the Heat on defense and make that their priority.
Rebound - Along with defense, rebounding is always a key to winning. As Pat Riley once said "No rebounds, no rings." The Celtics average 46.5 rebounds per game (4th) while the Heat average 46.6 rebounds per game (3rd). When the Celtics have more rebounds then their opponents, they are 38-11 when they have fewer rebounds, they are just 9-13. It takes effort and hustle to get rebounds and the Celtics need to give more effort than the Heat to grab rebounds if they want to win this game.
Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes- The Celtics have to play with extra effort overall for all 4 quarters. In most of their losses and even in some of their wins, they have allowed their opponents to play with more energy than them for periods of time during the game. They play well for stretches but let up and allow their opponents to surge ahead. The Heat are known for playing hard against all of their opponents. They have to stay focused for all 48 minutes and be ready for the heat to play harder in the second half and they need to match that effort and if the 3's aren't falling, get into the paint.
Move the Ball Carefully - The Celtics are best when they keep the ball moving and find the open man. They struggle when they try to do too much individually. The Celtics are 32-2 when they have 25 or more assists in a game. They have to move the ball an find the open man without a lot of hero ball. The Heat are 5th in the league with 20.1 points off turnovers per game so the Celtics have to make careful passes and be careful not to turn the ball over.
X-Factors On the Road - The Celtics are on the road for the 3rd game of a 4 game road trip. The Celtics need to stay focused on playing hard and as a team and not be distracted by the hostile crowd or the unfamiliar court or the fatigue that comes from travel. They lost their last game and need to stay focused to get back in the win column in spite of playing on the road.
Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor in every game. Every crew officiates differently. Some call it tight, others let them play. The Celtics need to adjust to how the refs are calling the game and not allow bad calls or no calls to take away their focus from playing the game. The Celtics have to play so well all game that the officiating, no matter how bad, can't influence the game.
Topic: Celtics (50-25) at Heat (40-36) Game #76 4/1/26 (Read 360 times)