US sports compact: Theis and Celtics equalize again against Miami

The German national basketball player Daniel Theis and the Boston Celtics can continue to dream of reaching the finals in the North American professional league NBA. The record champions equalized again in the semifinals against the Miami Heat with a clear 102:82 home win in the fourth game. The fifth duel of the best-of-seven series takes place in Miami on Wednesday.

Jayson Tatum was the dominating player on Boston’s team 48 hours after the Celtics’ disappointment after losing their first game on their own arena. The 24-year-old, who recently fell short of his potential, shone in the unexpectedly one-sided encounter with a strong 31 points. Tatum also had eight rebounds and five assists.

In contrast to the fourth game, Theis was not in the home team’s starting line-up after just one point. In his nine minutes on the floor, the 30-year-old scored four points.

Tatum drew great confidence for the next encounter from the recent equalizer. “We have wiped out the nick of our previous defeat. We were determined to play better again because we knew how important it was for us to win this game. Now we’re ready for game five,” said Boston’s match winner after the end of the game.

The Celtics’ second-best pitcher behind Tatum was Payton Pritchard with 14 points. Derrick White recorded 13 points. In Miami’s team, Victor Oladipo was the most successful thrower with 23 points ahead of Duncan Robinson (14 points).

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra clearly mourned the unused opportunity for the decisive third victory. “They fell upon us. But more than anything else, our offensive weakness hurt us at the beginning. We didn’t play purposefully enough,” analyzed Spoelstra with frustration.

The Dallas Mavericks with the German national player Maximilian Kleber and the Golden State Warriors determine the second finalist. In the fourth game on Tuesday evening in front of a home crowd, Kleber and his colleagues are under pressure to win due to a 0:3 deficit in order to still have a chance of reaching the final.

The Colorado Avalanche have again taken a big step towards the play-off semi-finals in the North American professional league NHL without the German ice hockey professional Nico Sturm. In game four, Colorado won 6-3 at the St. Louis Blues, extending their lead in the best-of-seven series to 3-1. As in the third quarter-final duel, Sturm was not part of the Avalanche squad, which had their first match point on their own ice on Wednesday.

Defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning meanwhile already has the semi-final ticket secured. With a 2-0 win over the Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay made it through to the semifinals with four wins.

On Tuesday evening, the Edmonton Oilers are challenged again with superstar Leon Draisaitl. The fourth game of the series takes place in front of a home crowd against the Calgary Flames, the Oilers lead 2-1. In the third encounter, the German had shone with four assists.