Miami beat Boston for the third time and opened the door wide to the NBA Finals

Nigeria's Gabe Vincent scored a career-high 29 points, Duncan Robinson added 22, and the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 128-102 in Game 3 of the NBA Eastern Conference finals.

So the #8 Heat took a 3-0 lead against the preseason favorite Celtics and are just one game away from the East title. No team in NBA history has yet held such a lead in a 4/7 format and lost. Miami is eight wins and no losses in this situation.

Caleb Martin scored 18 points for the Heat's success, and Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayor, who were the driving forces in the team's previous two victories, stepped into secondary roles this time and added 16 and 13 points, respectively.

Jacem Tatum scored 14 points and Jaylen Brown scored 12 for the Celtics, who won three times in Miami en route to last year's Eastern Conference finals. Grant Williams and Peyton Pritchard each finished with 12 points.

Game 4, which could be Boston's last of this NBA season, is set for Tuesday in Miami. With a win, the Heat will likely play for the title against the Denver Nuggets, who also have a 3-0 lead against the LA Lakers. The NBA Finals series begins on June 1.

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