Boston Celtics produced their biggest fightback of the season, overturning a 22-point gap to edge Miami Heat 98-96 and collect a fifth straight victory, with Jaylen Brown scoring 29 points, Payton Pritchard adding 24, and new centre Nikola Vucevic contributing a double-double that helped close a game where Boston initially misfired badly from beyond the arc.
Boston went 1-of-21 from 3-point range to start, yet converted nine of their last 15 long-range attempts, including Derrick White’s decisive corner three with 1:31 left, which came after Boston had trailed 59-38 at half-time, and that late surge completed a turnaround driven by steady defence, sharper spacing, and more fluent offence across the final two quarters.
White endured a rough shooting
night overall, hitting 6-of-20 from the field but still finishing with 21 points, and that final three provided the winning margin at 98-96 after Vucevic spotted White unmarked on the right side, showing instant chemistry in late-game action as the Celtics punished Miami Heat’s defensive lapse during a broken possession.
Vucevic closed his debut with 11 points and 12 rebounds after joining from Chicago Bulls at the trade deadline, having only met up with Boston Celtics on Thursday, yet the Montenegrin big adapted quickly to the team’s schemes and spacing, giving Boston extra size on the glass and another playmaking option from the high post in half-court sets.
Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla praised that fast adjustment from Vucevic and highlighted the preparation behind it, saying: "I thought he did a great job, from the day he got to Boston right to tip-off, the coach said of Vucevic. Preparing for everything our language, our coverages, what we needed to do. I thought he put himself in position to help us. And then, credit to the guys for having a quick understanding about why we acquired him and how he can make us better and how we can help to make him better. So, I thought those two things wereon display at both ends of the floor, and he impacted winning. "
Mazzulla also admitted that the early struggles against Miami Heat came from overthinking new options within the Boston Celtics system, explaining: "I think when you add a piece, you're trying to anticipate thingswhat are the matchups, what are the coverages, what plays, what are the reads in these plays? So, I thought Iput the guys in a tough spot to start the game, just processing all the what-if scenarios, and thought we were just bogged down by those things, and it impacted it. Once we justsimplified it, and once the game went on and we were able to see those reads, I thought the guys did a much better job. "
That simplification showed in the second half as Boston Celtics increased their pressure, attacked Miami Heat’s switches, and leaned on Vucevic as a screener and passer, while Vucevic described planning his role with Mazzulla, saying: "Talking to the coach, he does like to be flexible with different lineups, different rotations, Vucevic said.That's something we talked about. I told him I was totally open to that. I totally understand that my role will be different than what it was for most of my career in Chicago and Orlando [Magic] before. I was fine with that. "
Really brought the HEAT in the second half pic.twitter.com/oQ3R9hEthZBoston Celtics (@celtics) February 7, 2026
The comeback against Miami Heat underlined Boston Celtics’ depth and flexibility, with Brown, Pritchard, White and Vucevic all influencing the result at different stages, and Mazzulla’s decision to strip back the game plan allowing the group to react faster, make clearer reads and close out a tight contest that had seemed out of reach at half-time.
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