Celtics lead wire-to-wire in Miami, roll past Heat 104-84 for 2-1 lead in East series

MIAMI (AP) — For two days, the Boston Celtics lamented getting beaten on their home floor. And when they finally got to play again, they let out all the frustration.

The result: a defensive masterpiece.

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown each scored 22 points to lead a balanced approach, and the Celtics soundly beat the Miami Heat 104-84 on Saturday night to a take a 2-1 lead in their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series.

“We didn't make too many adjustments,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “We played a little bit harder, we played harder and we dictated the physicality and the tempo of the game. It's the simple things that you have to do under a high level of stress, high level of adversity. I thought our guys did a great job of dictating that tonight.”

Game 4 is Monday in Miami, where the Celtics are 9-2 in their last 11 games and 6-1 in their last seven playoff games.

Tatum added 10 rebounds and six assists for the Celtics, who led Game 3 wire-to-wire and reclaimed the home-court edge that they lost when Miami won Game 2 in Boston. Kristaps Porzingis had 18 points and Derrick White scored 16 for the Celtics.

The last time either team saw these kind of numbers — Boston on defense, Miami on offense — was Game 5 of the East finals on May 25, 2022, a 93-80 Celtics road win that helped them reach that season’s NBA Finals. The Heat had scored more than 84 points in every game since and the Celtics had allowed more than 84 in every game since.

“That’s where we’re going to win games, on the defensive end,” Tatum said.

Bam Adebayo scored 20 points for eighth-seeded Miami, which remains without starters Jimmy Butler and Terry Rozier because of injuries. Nikola Jovic and Tyler Herro each scored 15 for the Heat, who got 12 from Jaime Jaquez Jr.

“They took us out of stuff we would like to get to," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "They were the more physical team. They bodied us, bullied us on screens, got through stuff, distorted screens, everything. ... You have to credit them for that. They were the more physical team, the team with more physicality and force on both ends of the court.”

Bounce-back efforts have been a trend for Boston this season. The Celtics — the No. 1 overall seed in the playoffs — don't lose often, and when they do, they tend to just come out and win their next one. Boston is now 15-4 in the game immediately following a loss this season, its average victory margin in those games 12.2 points.

“Just mindset,” Brown said. “We put an emphasis on defense, trying to make them uncomfortable a little bit ... and I think that opened up the game.”

Boston never trailed in Game 1, a 114-94 win, and never trailed in Game 3 either on its way to beating Miami for the fifth time in six meetings this season. The Celtics led 21-12 after one, setting the tone for how nothing would come easily for the Heat.

Midway through the second quarter, it — briefly — seemed like Miami had weathered the storm. The Heat were making a bit of a run, the building had some life and Herro had a look at a 3-pointer that would have gotten the Heat within 10.

It rimmed out. The storm was not weathered. It was, in fact, just starting.

The Celtics outscored Miami 20-8 in the next 4 ½ minutes to go up 61-36 and the game was really never in doubt again It was 63-39 at the break, Boston dominant in every which way — a 19-2 edge in points off turnovers, a 26-12 scoring edge in the paint, 27-15 in rebounds, 13-6 in assists.

The lead reached 29 in the second half, Miami never getting closer than 18 after halftime.

“From the jump, they were more aggressive than us,” Jovic said. “That shouldn't be happening.”

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Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) looks for an opening past Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) forward Nikola Jovic, far left, and guard Tyler Herro, rear, during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) drives to the basket past Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin (16) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, right, drives to the basket against Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson (55) looks for an opening past Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro (14) congratulates center Bam Adebayo (13) after a play during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics forward Kristaps Porzingis (8) dunks the ball during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo (13) attempts to pass to guard Tyler Herro (14) past Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday (4) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) attempts to knock the ball away from Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) passes past Miami Heat forwards Nikola Jovic, left, Jaime Jaquez Jr., second from right, and center Bam Adebayo (13) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (0) goes up for a shot against Miami Heat forward Nikola Jovic (5) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Saturday, April 27, 2024, in Miami. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — At least 90 people were injured in Argentina's capital when a passenger train struck an empty boxcar on the tracks and derailed Friday, authorities said, a rare collision that fueled questions about basic safety.

The train was on its way from Buenos Aires to the northern suburbs when it derailed around 10:30 a.m. on a bridge in the trendy neighborhood of Palermo, safety officials said.

While it was not immediately clear why the idled boxcar had been on the bridge, Argentina's railway union said several meters (yards) of copper cable used to carry power along the tracks had been stolen from the railway, disabling the signaling system intended to prevent such accidents.

Union leaders fiercely opposed to libertarian President Javier Milei's economic austerity blamed the government for its failure to invest in public infrastructure.

“We have been demanding for 10 days that the stolen signaling cables be repaired," rail union leader Omar Maturano told the country's independent Radio Con Vos station. “The government said there was no money for spare parts.”

Prosecutors said they were investigating.

“There is not enough information about the mechanics of this accident,” Buenos Aires Mayor Jorge Macri said from the crash site where he praised the swift evacuation of victims.

Dozens of injured were treated at the scene and 30 people taken to hospitals in moderate to serious condition, at least two by helicopter with chest trauma and broken bones.

Alberto Crescenti, director of the city's emergency service, said rescuers with police dogs had helped 90 people trapped in the derailed train, lowering some by rope from the highway overpass scattered with twisted metal and shattered glass.

Dazed passengers staggering out of the derailed boxcars told local media the train had stopped on the bridge for several minutes before starting up again and slamming violently into the other train, jolting passengers and veering off the rails in a jumble of sparks and smoke.

Officials at the Argentine rail authority, Trenes Argentinos, said service on the popular rail line had been suspended, complicating travel for many commuters.

The collision brought increased scrutiny to rail safety in Argentina, where a string of train crashes from 2012-2014 left over 50 people dead and hundreds injured. It emerged at the time that outdated infrastructure, delays and human error had left the railway system vulnerable to crashes, prompting the government to invest in new safety and braking systems.

With Argentina's economy spiraling and anti-government protests gripping the streets, the crash quickly spawned contradictory narratives, with both government officials and leftist union leaders using the incident to further their agendas.

“The rail company has been totally degraded because there's no budget," said Maturano, from the rail union.

President Milei reposted comments on social media blaming his left-leaning predecessors for neglecting public infrastructure and running up a massive budget deficit.

In the midst of Argentina's worst economic crisis in two decades, police have repeatedly reported would-be cable thieves being electrocuted in the act. Those who succeed wreak havoc on the rail system in stealing metal to sell to scrapyards, where local media says the going rate is about $7 a kilogram ($3.18 a pound).

The Argentine website Infobae in February called copper cable theft “a trendy crime for the crisis.”

Police tape off the site after a passenger train collision in the Palermo area of Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A paramedic transports an injured commuter after two trains collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Railway workers inspect a passenger train after it collided with another in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Franco Dergarabedian)

Railway workers inspect a passenger train after it collided with another in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

A police officer talks to a commuter who was injured when two trains collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

A train wagon that collided with another stands on the rails in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)

Paramedics transport injured commuters after two trains collided in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, May 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)