Miami Heat snap Boston Celtics' 16-game winning streak

The Miami Heat (8-9) ended the Boston Celtics' (16-3) 16-game winning streak Wednesday (Thursday) courtesy of a 104-98 victory at the American Airlines Arena. The Celtics had won 16 consecutive games after losing their season-opening contests against the Cleveland Cavaliers (Oct. 17) and Milwaukee Bucks (Oct. 18).

At one stage, the Celtics trailed by as many as 17 points. However, Brad Stevens' young team went on a 13-0 fourth-quarter run to cut the deficit to 91-90 with 3:14 left in the game. That was when Heat guard Dion Waiters took over. Waiters made two consecutive three-pointers to open up a 97-90 lead for the home team.

For the Heat, point guard Goran Dragic top-scored with a tally of 27 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, while Waiters added 26 points and 6 assists, besides a pair of clutch baskets. Tyler Johnson added 16 points off the bench. Star centre Hassan Whiteside made a big impact on the defensive end, but added just 8 points from 28 minutes on the floor.

Erik Spoelstra wants team to get tougher

After the victory, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the team for surviving Boston's late onslaught. "Our identity is to be tough and we haven't shown that consistently enough. Pockets, here and there. It's that kind of effort to get a six-point win. Nothing is guaranteed, but that has to be what we embrace all the time. So, good. How about next game?"

Meanwhile, Celtics star Kyrie Irving had an off night, by his standards, especially two nights after a season-high 47-point outing against the Dallas Mavericks. Irving finished with 23 points and 3 assists while shooting 11/22 from the field and 0/3 from three-point range. "You can tell they were locked into this game. They wanted it and proved it," Irving said after the loss, showering praise on Waiters, via ESPN.

While Jaylen Brown, Boston's unsung hero this season, tallied 14 points, rookie Jayson Tatum finished with 18 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. "Like I said, 16 straight is a little bit of a mirage," Celtics coach Brad Stevens said after the game. The Boston Celtics will now stay at home to host the Orlando Magic Friday before visiting the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.