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BOSTON CELTICS guard Isaiah Thomas (4) goes up for a shot against Miami Heat forward James Johnson (16) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday in Miami. Thomas scored 25 points as the Celtics defeated the Heat, 112-104.
BOSTON CELTICS guard Isaiah Thomas (4) goes up for a shot against Miami Heat forward James Johnson (16) during the second half of an NBA basketball game on Monday in Miami. Thomas scored 25 points as the Celtics defeated the Heat, 112-104.
MIAMI

Isaiah Thomas endured his worst shooting night of the season, and the Boston Celtics still made scoring on Miami look easy.

Thomas had 25 points and eight assists, Avery Bradley added 18 points and the Celtics beat the Heat 112-104 on Monday night — putting up more points on Miami than any other opponent all season.

Thomas shot 7 for 23, but the Celtics put six players in double figures and never trailed after the midpoint of the first quarter.

“We took what the defense gave us,” said Boston’s Kelly Olynyk, who had 14 points. “We just kind of found ways to score however they were guarding us.”

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Jae Crowder scored 17 points for Boston, which beat Miami for the fourth consecutive time.

Goran Dragic had 27 points and 17 assists for the Heat, setting season bests in both categories. Hassan Whiteside added 25 points and 17 rebounds, and Josh Richardson scored 12.

“That is the Goran Dragic we know,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s my responsibility to get him to that more frequently.”

The Heat tied a season low for a quarter with 12 points in the second, going into halftime down 48-31. They established a season best with 42 points in the third, yet Boston maintained a double-digit lead.

“They went on a run in the third quarter, but any way we can get road wins we’re going to take them,” Thomas said.

Marcus Smart picked up three fouls — a flagrant, a personal and a technical — 51 seconds apart late in the fourth, and that helped Miami get Boston’s lead down to nine for the first time since the second quarter.

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But the Heat still fell to 2-7 at home.

“We just need to continue to grind, to get better,” Dragic said. “We have so many times we’re not focused enough. … You cannot win games like that. We need to figure out something, for sure.”

Notes — Boston’s Al Horford (newborn child) missed the game but is expected to practice today. … Shortly before tip-off, Thomas posed for a photo with a soldier who was near the Boston bench. … Of the 10 Celtics who played, nine had an assist. … Miami missed its first 14 3-pointers before Richardson finally got one to drop midway through the third quarter. A fan actually made one before any Heat player, connecting — while seated, no less — during a second-quarter timeout and winning a tablet. … Whiteside has at least one blocked shot in 46 consecutive games.

Next — The Celtics host Detroit on Wednesday, the start of a two-game homestand.


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