The Celtics picked the most inopportune time to play their worst game of the season.

Al Horford has never been this close to winning an NBA championship.

Jaylen Brown and Derrick White each scored 25 points and the Boston Celtics advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals, beating the short-handed Miami Heat 118-84 in Game 5 on Wednesday night.

After the Boston Celtics beat the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night, the focus of the NBA’s best team quickly turned to something else: watching Caitlin Clark and the final minutes of Iowa’s victory over LSU in the Elite Eight of the women’s NCAA Tournament.

Jayson Tatum had 30 points and 12 rebounds in less than three quarters and the Boston Celtics used a blistering start to pull away from the Indiana Pacers, winning 155-104 on Wednesday night to remain unbeaten.

Derrick White scored 23 points to help a shorthanded Boston team hold off Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies 119-109.

Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead a balanced Boston attack and the East-leading Celtics stretched their winning streak to eight with a 126-101 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Jayson Tatum had 31 points and five assists, and the Boston Celtics beat the Detroit Pistons 128-112 on Wednesday night to earn their fourth straight victory.

Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 42 points and made the go-ahead basket with 44.3 seconds left and the Milwaukee Bucks withstood a frantic flurry of shots in the final seconds to beat the Boston Celtics 103-101 on Saturday in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal.

Joel Embiid scored 17 of his 41 points in the fourth quarter, hitting three jumpers in the final minutes and three free throws in the last four seconds to ice it as the Philadelphia 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 108-103.

The program’s official Twitter account posted Monday that the Tar Heels are seeking a home game for this week. 18 Virginia Tech was postponed, the third Atlantic Coast Conference home game called off for the program. ___Vanderbilt says a limited number of students from its senior class can attend the men’s basketball home game Wednesday with Kentucky. ___The Atlantic Coast Conference announced Monday that Clemson's men's basketball game at Notre Dame scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed due to COVID-19 issues. AdThe conference says in a release that the postponement follows a positive test, subsequent quarantining, and contact tracing within the Clemson men’s program.