If it looked like every shot was falling for the Boston Celtics against the Miami Heat Thursday, your eyes weren't playing tricks on you. The Celtics shot their way to the second-most efficient game by a team in NBA history as they bested their former Eastern Conference Finals foe.
According to StatMuse, Boston shot 63.7% from the field, 55% from behind the arc, and 95% from the free-throw line.
The one missed free throw slipped from Jayson Tatum's fingertips.
"We were just really intentional about what we were trying to do," Tatum said postgame when asked about the team's offense. "I'm glad we just made our free throws tonight. We've been missing them – myself included – we've been missing a lot of free throws. I mean, [expletive], I was the only guy who missed a free throw tonight."
Tatum's missed shot aside, Boston's true shooting percentage was 80.5%.
This statistical feat came against the Miami Heat, a win that would hold more weight if Miami wasn't on the second night of a back-to-back against a Celtics team with two days' rest.
Heavy-legged opposition aside, there was no denying the Celtics' additions in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have paid dividends since Boston's devastating loss to the Heat in the 2023 ECF.
Brad Stevens appeared to sacrifice a few pieces of Boston's defensive identity when he dolled out Marcus Smart and Robert Williams III for Boston's new starters – although Holiday brought his own immediate elite defensive credibility.
But Porzingis and Holiday played massive roles in Boston's shootout, going 6-of-9 and 7-of-8, respectively. Through 33 games, Porzingis is boasting an individual 66.3% true shooting percentage, the highest of his career.
The Oklahoma City Thunder currently hold the league's highest average true shooting percentage per game, with the Celtics ranked fifth.
