MIAMI -- The Boston Celtics came to AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday night to play the Miami Heat without their second-leading scorer and leading rebounder. Kemba Walker then finished the game with 16 points on 5-for-19 shooting.
That combination is not exactly a recipe for success.
But it turned out none of that mattered -- thanks to a pair of brilliant performances by Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown, who combined for 54 points on 20-for-30 shooting to overcome an off-night by Walker, as well as the absences of Jayson Tatum (groin) and Enes Kanter (hip) to power Boston to a 109-101 win over Miami in a battle of top-four teams in the East.