No blown leads this time.

The Boston Celtics survived a late surge from the Miami Heat, 117-106, to avoid falling into a 0-3 hole in their NBA Eastern Conference finals series on Saturday, September 29 (Sunday, September 20, Manila time).

Squandering double-digit leads in the first two games of the best-of-seven duel, the Celtics stayed composed in the endgame as 4 players breached the 20-point plateau, with Marcus Smart sinking the win-sealing free throws.

Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, Jayson Tatum had 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists, while Kemba Walker chalked up 21 points and 6 rebounds.

Smart chimed in 21 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds as he proved steady at the line to key the Celtics to the Game 3 win.

“Down 0-2 in the series, we played some games we thought we should have played better,” Brown said. “We wanted to make it an emphasis to come out tonight and play 48 minutes, and we did.”

The Heat shaved a 20-point fourth-quarter deficit to just 5 points with a minute left off a Bam Adebayo layup, 104-109, but the Celtics banked on Smart to put the game away.

Smart went a perfect 8-of-8 with his free throws in the last 50 seconds as the Heat failed to score a field goal in that span.

The win marked the return of Gordon Hayward, who contributed 6 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals for the Celtics.

“The first 5 minutes I was gassed,” admitted Hayward, adding that he was feeling it in the right ankle he sprained in Game 1 of the Heat’s first-round series against Philadelphia.

Hayward left the bubble to rehabilitate the injury, returning and going through quarantine before he could return to the court.

Bam Adebayo led the Heat with 27 points, 16 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, while Tyler Herro came off the bench and chipped in 22 points.

Jimmy Butler had 17 points in the loss.

“They came out, Boston did, with great force in this game,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “You do have to credit them for that. “They sustained it for the better majority of the game. We were on our heels most of the game.”– Rappler.com