Miami Heat (15-12) at Boston Celtics (15-11) Friday, December 19, 2025 7:00 PM ET Regular Season Game #27 Home Game #14 TV: NBCSB, FDSN Sun, NBA-LP Radio: 98.5 Sports Hub, WQAM 104.3 FM, Sirius XM TD Garden
The Celtics host the Miami Heat for the first of 4 games between them this season. They will meet again in Boston on February 6 and will play two more times in Miami on January 15 and April 1. 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 86-54 overall all time against the Heat. They are 42-30 all time in games played in Miami.
The Heat are playing on the second night of back to back games after playing in Toronto on Thursday. The Heat are 3-1 in the second of back to back games so far this season. The Celtics have not played since Monday and have struggled in their last 2 games that came after 4 days rest. This is the first of back to back games for the Celtics as they play in Toronto on Saturday. They are 1-3 so far in the first of back to back games.
The Heat made several changes since last season. They drafted Kasparas Jakucionis with the 20th pick in the first round. They did a sign and trade of Duncan Robinson to Detroit in return for Simone Fontechhio. They also received Norman Powell in a 3 way trade that sent Kyle Anderson and Kevin Love to Utah. Davion Mitchell, who was traded to Miami in February resigned for another 2 years.
The Celtics are 4th in the East, 4 games behind 2nd place New York and 5.5 games behind first place Detroit. They are 1 game behind 3rd place Toronto. They are half a game ahead of 5th place Philadelphia and 6th place Orlando. They are half a game ahead of 6th place Philadelphia and 7th place Miami. They are 1 game ahead of 8th place Cleveland and 9th place Atlanta. The Celtics are 8-5 at home. They are 11-8 against Eastern Conference opponents and 7-3 in their last 10 games. They have lost their last 2 games.
The Heat are 7th in the East, 4.5 games behind 2nd place New York, 1.5 games behind 3rd place Toronto and half a game behind 4th place Boston. They are tied with 5th place Philadelphia and 6th place Orlando. They are half a game ahead of 8th place Cleveland and 9th place Atlanta. They are 9-7 against Eastern Conference opponents and 5-8 on the road. They are 4-6 in their last 10 games and won their last game after losing their previous 5 games.
After this game at home against the Miami, play at Toronto, the Celtics will host Indiana and then head out on a 5 game road trip through Indiana, Portland, Utah, Sacramento and the LA Clippers. Next they have a 4 game home stand where they host Chicago, Denver, Toronto, and San Antonio before a 4 game road trip through Indiana, Miami, Atlanta and the final game at Detroit.
The Heat are playing in the 2nd game of a 3 game road trip. They will finish the trip at New York. Then they play home vs Toronto and on the road at Atlanta before playing at home against Indiana and Denver. Then at Detroit and home again vs Minnesota and New Orleans. Then it’s a 4 game road trip through Minnesota, Chicago, Indiana and Oklahoma City. They then return home to host Phoenix and Boston.
Jayson Tatum remains out for the Celtics as he continues to rehab from the Achilles tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs. Sam Hauser left Monday’s game with a sprained ankle and was originally probable but is now listed as available. Josh Minott is managing lower-back spasms and was also listed as probable but is now listed as available.
For the Heat, Terry Rozier III is out as he awaits the results of the investigation into the illegal betting scandal. Pelle Larsson is out after spraining his ankle on Dec. 10 and has yet to return to practice. Nikola Jovic is out due to a right elbow contusion. Tyler Herro is out due to a right toe contusion. Andrew Wiggins is questionable due to back spasms. Davion Mitchell is probable with a sprained ankle. I’ve listed the same starting lineup that they used on Thursday.
Probable Starting Matchups
PG: Derrick White vs Davion Mitchell
SG: Payton Pritchard vs Norman Powell
SF: Jaylen Brown vs Andrew Wiggins
PF: Jordan Walsh vs Bam Adebayo
C: Neemias Queta vs Kel’el Ware
Boston Celtics Reserves
Anfernee Simons
Josh Minott
Xavier Tillman
Sam Hauser
Hugo Gonzalez
Baylon Scheierman
Chris Boucher
2-Way Players
Ron Harper, Jr
Max Shulga
Amari Williams
Injuries/Out
Jayson Tatum (Achilles) out
Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla
Miami Heat Reserves
Kasparas Jakucionis
Jaime Jaquez, Jr
Keshad Johnson
Dru Smith
Kel’el Ware
2-Way Players
Myron Gardner
Vladislav Goldin
Jahmir Young
Injuries/Out
Tyler Herro (toe) out
Pelle Larsson (ankle)out
Niola Jovic (elbow) out
Terry Rozier III (not injury related) out
Davion Mitchell (ankle) probable
Andrew Wiggins (back) questionable
Head Coach
Erik Spoelstra
Key Matchups
Payton Pritchard vs Norman Powell
Powell is averaging 24.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. He is shooting 49.3% from the field and 42.9% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to defend him well as he is the Heat’s high scorer and can put up a lot of points. If Herro can play, then he would start here and is averaging 23.2 points, and shooting 50.5% from the field and 40.5% on 3’s. Whoever starts here, it will be key to slow them down.
Jordan Walsh vs Bam Adebayo
Adebayo is averaging 19.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game. He is shooting 48.1% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc. The Celtics need to keep him off the boards as he is capable of pulling down double figures in rebounds and they need to defend him both in the paint and on the perimeter.
Honorable Mention
Neemias Queta vs Kel’el Ware
Ware is averaging 11.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks per game. He is shooting 53.3% from the field and 40.7% from beyond the arc. He is dangerous in the paint to block shots and to grab rebounds. He is also a good 3 point shooter and so the Celtics have to stay with him both in the paint and on the perimeter.
Keys to the Game
Defense – Defense will always be the biggest key to winning every single game. The Celtics are 18th with a defensive rating of 115.1. The Heat are 4th with a defensive rating of 111.8. The Celtics need to defend the perimeter since the Heat attempt 36.7 threes a game and shoot threes better than the Celtics at 36.7%. They also have to defend the paint as the Heat are 3rd with 56.2 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 43.4 rebounds per game (19th) while the Heat average 45.4 rebounds per game (8th). The Celtics are 10-4 when they out-rebound opponents and just 5-7 when out-rebounded. 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.
Reserve Contributions – Against the Pistons, the Celtics starters out-scored the Pistons starters 91-75. But the Celtics reserves were out-scored 47-14. The Celtics have to get more from their reserves. The starters can only do so much if they don’t get help on offense from their bench. The Celtics got 65 points from just Brown and White and they could use more scoring from Pritchard, Walsh and Queta as well. The Heat have one of the best benches in the league and the Celtics need to get more from theirs.
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 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. Against the Bucks, the Celtics shot 52.4% from the field and 47.8% from 3 in the first half but just 26.1%from the field and 11.5% (3-26) from 3 in the second half. Against the Pistons, the Celtics shot 52.4% from the field and 26.3% from 3 in the first half but just 40% from the field and 25% from 3 in the second half. They also struggled from the free throw line. They have to stay focused for all 48 minutes and be ready for their opponents 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.
X-Factors
Home Game and Fatigue vs Rust – The Celtics are at home and will have the crowd behind them to give them extra motivaton. The Heat will be playing in front of a hostile crowd and in an unfamiliar arena. The Celtics have not played since Monday while the Heat are playing on the second night of back to back games. Will the Celtics show rust because of being off or will the Heat be fatigued from playing 2 nights in a row?
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 more aggressive team will usually get the benefit of the calls and so the Celtics need to be the more aggressive team.
