Celtics lose to Heat, 111-103, in Game 6, and now winner-take-all final looms in Miami on Sunday

But Kyle Lowry responded with a three of his own, and the Heat began to pull away.

Jimmy Butler was the star on Friday, scoring 47 points to lead all scorers.

His three with under a minute to play made it 107-101 Heat, and put a dagger in the Celtics’ hopes that they could finish off this series and get some extended rest before taking on the Warriors, who advanced from the Western Conference after beating Dallas on Thursday.

Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 30 points on 9-12 shooting. White scored 22 off the bench on 7-13 shooting, and Jaylen Brown added 20 on 6-13 shooting.

Al Horford struggled, scoring just 3 points on 1-8 shooting. Robert WIlliams scored 12 points, and Marcus Smart added 14.

Play-by-play | Box score

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What went down at TD Garden — 11:30 p.m.

Fans started to head for the exits with 10 seconds to play and hope fading. This place got quiet so quickly, like the air being let out of a balloon.

Celtics lose — 11:27 p.m.

Heat 111, Celtics 103

Scratch that: Brown fouls out — 11:22 p.m.

It’s an offensive foul on Brown.

107-103 Heat.

Brown is at the line with 12.1 to go — 11:21 p.m.

The foul call on Victor Oladipo is being reviewed.

Final minute — 11:16 p.m.

Heat 105, Celtics 101

Finn: Lotta complaining about the refs on Twitter, but they didn’t make Jaylen Brown miss two free throws when the score was tied at 99.

Jaylen Brown doesn’t have a field goal in the second half.

Kyle Lowry fouls out — 11:09 p.m.

Turns out Lowry’s four fouls were a factor after all.

Jaylen Brown misses both free throws! What!

Finn: Kyle Lowry fouls out with 2:18 left. He finishes with 18 points, 10 assists, and 9 flops.

How the Celtics can navigate the end — 11:04 p.m.

Finn: Almost think the Celtics should double Butler no matter what. Some of the younger Heat players might be overwhelmed by the crowd noise.

The Celtics finally retake the lead, and it’s deafeningly loud — 11:02 p.m.

Derrick White sinks a three-pointer to put the Celtics up, 97-94, with 4:42 left to play.

It’s Boston’s first lead since there was 10:46 left in the third.

Fans are really getting into it now.

Celtics in the bonus — 10:59 p.m.

The Celtics are in the bonus for the final 6:40 of this game.

“M-V-P” chants are raining down on Jayson Tatum after he went to the line following a foul by PJ Tucker.

A makeup call? — 10:56 p.m.

Finn: I swear Marcus Smart set out to draw an offensive foul there knowing that there was a chance of a makeup call. And it worked.

Scoring update: 8:57, fourth quarter — 10:54 p.m.

Boos are raining down after Jayson Tatum is called for an offensive foul, his third on the night, negating his layup.

Thurston: Lowry and Tucker both playing with four fouls. Brown has four, Smart and Horford three.

Yang, There’s 8:57 remaining in the fourth. Don’t think four matters at this point.

Who do you think wins the Larry Bird ECF MVP trophy? — 10:52 p.m.

Yang: My guess is they just give it to Jayson Tatum?

Thurston: Correct. Or Jimmy Butler picks it up Sunday night.

Finn: Please don’t make me say Jimmy Butler. I thought Horford might have a shot, but he has a goose-egg tonight. I’ll say it’s still to be determined.

Once again, a big night for Derrick White — 10:49 p.m.

Yang: Well, for all that talk about the Jays not having any help this game, Derrick White has almost singlehandedly kept the Celtics in it. He’s made some clutch three-pointers and just got earned an and-1. Boston is now within 4.

Finn: Yep, it’s become the Derrick White show. Three threes and a runner with a foul just now. He missed the free throw, though, the Celtics’ first miss from the line all night.

Grant has his fifth, and Ime challenges — 10:44 p.m.

Yang: And Grant Williams picks up his fifth personal foul on a Jimmy Butler jumper with 11:26 remaining in the fourth quarter. Ime Udoka challenges the call, but the call on the floor stands. Butler heads to the line and Williams stays in the game.

What we’re watching as the fourth quarter begins — 10:40 p.m.

Yang: The Celtics have this game in manageable range, down just by 7 headed in the fourth. I know I’ve probably been saying this all game, but I think it’s still possible that the Heat run out of steam. Jimmy Butler is up to 30 points on 10 of 20 shooting, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Hard to ask for a better performance in an elimination game, but there is no margin for error.

Thurston: The Heat have hoisted up 30 shots from beyond the arc, hitting at 44.4 percent. They were 10 of 33 (30.3 percent) in Game 5.

Finn: The Max Strus revival sure hurt the Celtics in the third. They can’t keep losing him defensively in the fourth. If the Celtics are going to win this — and like Nicole said, it’s manageable — it’s going to require a more connected defense than they’ve shown so far.

Thurston: I thought Miami was gassed in Game 5, but they look like a different team.

End of the third quarter: Heat 82, Celtics 75 — 10:37 p.m.

Tatum has 24 points; Brown has added 18. Smart has 10, Robert Williams has 12, and Derrick White has 11 off the bench.

Jimmy Butler has 30 for the Heat — 10:36 p.m.

Looks like he doesn’t want his season to end yet.

Scoring update: 4:09, third quarter — 10:28 p.m.

Heat 70, Celtics 64

Robert Williams threw down a thunderous dunk off a Brown lob and the crowd came to life.

Angry Ime is here. Will the bench show up? — 10:22 p.m.

Yang: First, we had “Mad Brad” timeouts. Now, we have “Angry Ime”! Udoka takes a timeout after a Max Strus three-pointer gives the Heat a 70-58 lead with 5:30 remaining in the third.

Thurston: The two Js have 42 of the team’s 58 points. Pritchard and Grant Williams scoreless. 4 bench points, all from Derrick White.

Finn: Celtics other than Tatum and Brown are 1 of 10 from 3. Tatum and Brown are a combined 5 for 10. Meanwhile, six different Heat players have hit a 3, four players have at least two 3s, and they’re 11 for 22 from behind the arc as a team.

Tough night for Horford — 10:18 p.m.

Finn: Rough one so far for Al Horford, who hasn’t scored (three attempts) and has three turnovers and three fouls. Uncharacteristic for him.

Yang: The Heat will be in the bonus for the final 6:30 of the third quarter. They need to take advantage if they want to hang on and win this one.

Pedro Martinez is here, too — 10:16 p.m.

Martinez gets a loud cheer from fans when he’s shown on the screen. Then, they show him and David Ortiz side-by-side.

Grant can’t stay out of trouble — 10:09 p.m.

Yang: Grant Williams just picked up his fourth personal foul with 10:03 remaining in the third quarter. Another not so smart foul. In comes Robert Williams.

Finn: Two minutes later, Grant is still complaining about it. What is with him?

Thurston: I actually thought he was about to get hit with a technical.

Rob Williams is back on the bench — 10:08 p.m.

It’s 49-48 Celtics with 10:32 to play in the third.

Rob Williams is not on the bench — 10:06 p.m.

Yang: Grant Williams is starting the second half in place of Robert Williams, who is not on the bench.

What we’re watching in the second half — 10:05 p.m.

Thurston: 8 of 16 from 3 is not sustainable for the Heat. They played as well as they could in the first half and still are only up 2. Robert Williams needs to be able to contribute significant minutes in the second half and Grant Williams needs to stop complaining every other time up the floor.

Pritchard has given them nothing offensively; 0 for 1 in only 3 minutes.

Jimmy Butler is his own meme — 10:03 p.m.

Yang: Jimmy Butler is up to 21 points on 7 of 15 shooting, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Couldn’t ask for a better first half from him, given the bum knee. You can tell it’s still affecting him, but he’s still having quite the impact and keeping the Heat in this game. He is literally his own meme right now:

Some fascinating stats — 10:01 p.m.

Finn: Tatum and Brown have 36 of the Celtics’ 46 points. Smart, Horford, White, Pritchard, and the Williamses have 10 total points on 3 of 18 shooting.

Weird stat: Heat are shooting 9 of 27 on 2s, but 8 of 16 from 3.

That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen — 9:59 p.m.

McInerney: Tonight’s halftime entertainment was the Amazing Sladek — the world’s oldest acrobat, apparently. He just climbed up about eight chairs stacked on top of one another at center court. Impossible to look away.

At the half: Heat 48, Celtics 46 — 9:50 p.m.

Tatum: 18 points, 6-8 from the field, 4 rebounds

Brown: 18 points, 6-10 from the field, 3 rebounds

Butler: 21 points, 7-15 from the field, 3-3 from 3, 9 rebounds, 6 assists

Lowry: 10 points, 3-8 from the field

Tatum and Brown are proving the doubters wrong — 9:49 p.m.

Yang: For all the people who questioned whether Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could play together — I was definitely one — tonight is a strong example showing they can. The duo is a combined 12 of 18 from the field, with 18 points each. Both have made key shots. Great complementary basketball.

Does Perk have a point? — 9:44 p.m.

Finn: Carry on, Perk.

Yang: I don’t always agree with Perk’s takes, but he has a point here. Bam Adebayo has once again failed to assert himself offensively. Zero points and four turnovers. Yuck.

Finn: Bam got called for that moving screen a few minutes ago, and it was probably one of his least egregious screens in the game.

Celtics take their first lead of the game — 9:39 p.m.

Jaylen Brown sunk two free throws to make it 41-40 with 2:55 to go in the second quarter.

Thurston: Robert Williams’s impact on the other end is immediately felt.

Yang: First lead for the Celtics comes with 2:55 remaining in the second quarter. I have a feeling this game will follow the script of Game 5. The Heat kept it competitive in the first half, but the Celtics will pull away in the third quarter.

Finn: What the two of you said. Turnovers have undermined the Heat. They have 11, four by Adebayo.

Nevermind! — 9:35 p.m.

Here he comes.

Where’s Robert Williams? — 9:34 p.m.

Yang: Robert Williams has not checked back in since getting subbed out with 1:04 remaining in the first quarter. He remains on the sideline, though.

Foul trouble brewing for the Celtics? — 9:31 p.m.

Yang: And now Al Horford just picked up third personal foul with 7:05 remaining. On the very next possession, Grant Williams picked up his third. We’ll see what Ime Udoka decides to do.

His decision? Leave them both in.

Grant won’t stop chirping — 9:29 p.m.

Grant Williams got in the official’s face after he had a problem with a foul call in the second. For what it’s worth, he shouldn’t have fouled in the first place.

Thurston: Grant Williams needs to stop that.

Finn: He thinks he’s the head of officials.

Watch: An incredible sequence for Tatum — 9:24 p.m.

Jayson Tatum just scored 7 points in 72 seconds. His stepback jumper brings the Celtics within one.

Finn: Seven straight points for Tatum. He’s suddenly up to 16 on 5 of 6 shooting. I had no idea he had that many already.

Don’t miss this spin to the basket followed by a ferocious dunk.

Scoring update: 10:00, second quarter — 9:21 p.m.

Heat 29, Celtics 24 — Tatum sinks two free throws

Finn: Tatum has taken just three shots.

Yang: Jimmy Butler got a two-minute rest to start the second quarter, and the score was the exact same, 29-22, when he checked back in. Good news for the Heat.

Finn: I like bringing in Pritchard here at the 10:11 mark. With the Heat in a zone and at times doubling Tatum, he could get some open looks.

Jimmy Butler is 2-2 from three — 9:19 p.m.

Finn: Butler is a terrific player, obviously, but it’s frustrating when he hits 3s. He shot just 23.3 percent from 3 this year.

Thurston: Celtics having trouble finishing; they need to stay aggressive.

What we’re watching as the first quarter winds down — 9:12 p.m.

Finn: His stats are modest so far (1-3 shooting, one assist, rebound and steal apiece), but Marcus Smart looks better tonight than he did in Game 5.

Thurston: On the flip side, Robert Williams noticeably limping and was replaced.

Yang: The stat I’m watching is Miami’s 3-point shooting. The Heat started the game 5 of 8 from range and they’ll need to keep that up. In Game 4, they were 7 of 45 (15.6 percent).

Jimmy Butler showing up in a must-win situation — 9:11 p.m.

Yang: Hell of a first quarter from Jimmy Butler: 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. He also played all 12 minutes. I can’t help but wonder if his knee will end up bothering him as the game goes on.

Scoring update: 3:19, first quarter — 9:03 p.m.

Heat 19, Celtics 14

Yang: That swing demonstrated just how badly the Heat need healthy Jimmy Butler. He makes a great steal but can’t attack the basket like his usual self, so he passes out to Max Strus, who misses the three. Jaylen Brown hits a three on the other end. Tough for the Heat.

Thurston: Celtics need to do a better job on the boards; these second and third opportunities for the Heat will come back to haunt them.

Yang: Six offensive rebounds for the Heat already.

Finn: Heat had 18 in Game 5.

Celebrity sighting: Big Papi’s in the house — 9:00 p.m.

David Ortiz, who was in town this week for his induction into the Red Sox Hall of Fame, got cheers as much as any Celtic when he was shown on the jumbotron.

Two early fouls for Horford, and Grant’s in the game — 8:57 p.m.

Yang: Uh oh: Al Horford picked up his second personal foul with 7:20 remaining in the first quarter. Early minutes for Grant Williams.

Two fouls on P.J. Tucker, too. In comes Caleb Martin.

How does this crowd compare? — 8:55 p.m.

Finn: Are crowds better this year than you remember in years past? Seems like the Garden has become one of the best home-court advantages in the league, at least in terms of crowd involvement.

Yang: I always thought the crowds for playoff hockey games were definitively better. This postseason has me questioning that take.

Finn: The Bruins do an incredible job with game presentation, and the crowds eat it up. Celtics are gaining on them, though.

Scoring update: 8:26, first quarter — 8:53 p.m.

Ime Udoka called a timeout as the Heat went up, 12-5.

Tatum has all 5 points for the Celtics.

Yang: I give the Heat credit. It feels like everyone, including myself (and Draymond Green on national television last night), thought the Celtics would cruise to victory. But the Heat showed up and aren’t going to roll over. They’re off to a 12-5 start, forcing Ime Udoka to call timeout. 

Finn: Withstand the Heat’s early haymakers, and wear ‘em out. I just can’t see them have the legs to stay with the Celtics for four quarters.

Yang: I agree with Chad. A 10-point Heat lead would not concern me. A 10-point Celtics lead would cause me to declare this game over.

Bring your earplugs — 8:50 p.m.

Yang: The TD Garden crowd continues to out-do itself. An 8:30 p.m. tip on Friday night certainly helps, but the fans are as loud as we’ve ever heard them. (I’m wearing over-the-ear headphones.) TD is for sure ready to crown the Celtics the Eastern Conference champs.

Thurston: This is not an understatement. It is raucous.

How do we feel? — 8:45 p.m.

It’s time for tip off.

Finn: How’s everyone feeling about Game 6? The hunch here is that the Celtics take care of business without much drama. Tyler Herro is out again, and the Heat struggle to score in the halfcourt without his instant offense. Miami looked worn down in Game 5 at home, and it feels lke their guards haven’t hit a shot since Udonis Haslem was a viable NBA player. I expect the Celtics to pull away in the third quarter, and we’ll spend the forth discussing who should win the inaugural Larry Bird Trophy.

Thurston: I think that’s pretty accurate, Chad. The place is already jumping; electric pregame atmosphere. No excuse for not putting this away. The wise guys certainly agree — Celtics -8.5. Over a No. 1 seed!

Yang: I would be shocked if the Celtics lose tonight. That being said, Kyle Lowry was warming up three and a half hours before tip-off, so he’s well-aware that he needs to play better. The Heat are injured but a mentally tough team. if the Celtics lose, it will be because of their own lapses.

Finn: He must be exhausted already.

Celtics call for “common sense gun laws” in pregame ceremony — 8:40 p.m.

Like the Heat did ahead of Game 5, the Celtics urged fans to call their senators in response to the deadly massacre in Uvalde, Texas, earlier this week.

The Celtics also held a moment of silence for the victims. Two adults and 19 children were killed.

During the moment of silence, a fan yelled out: “The police should have done something!”

Read the Globe’s live coverage of the shooting aftermath here.

What it’s like inside TD Garden right now — 8:25 p.m.

Draymond has a prediction — 8:00 p.m.

By Adam Himmelsbach

Warriors star Draymond Green made no secret about how he thinks the rest of this series will unfold.

Green and Golden State star Stephen Curry joined the TNT postgame show following their Game 5 win over the Mavericks Thursday that clinched a berth in the NBA Finals.

Hall of Fame center and TNT commentator Shaquille O’Neal asked Green if he would rather play the Heat or the Celtics in the next round, a question no athlete ever really answers.

Green said that both teams are tough, and that the Celtics’ defense causes problems. Then O’Neal pushed him for an answer, and Green came pretty close, offering a prediction instead of a preference.

“I’m going to tell you who I think we’re going to play,” Green said. “We’re going to play Boston. That’s who we’re going to play.”

The NBA Finals schedule is set. Take a look. — 7:45 p.m.

Game 1 will be on Thursday in San Francisco.

Here’s a rundown:

Game 1: Thu., June 2 at Golden State, 9 p.m. (ABC)

Game 2: Sun., June 5 at Golden State, 8 p.m. (ABC)

Game 3: Wed., June 8 at Miami/Boston, 9 p.m. (ABC)

Game 4: Fri., June 10 at Miami/Boston, 9 p.m. (ABC)

Game 5: Mon., June 13 at Golden State, 9 p.m. (ABC)*

Game 6: Thu., June 16 at Miami/Boston, 9 p.m. (ABC)*

Game 7: Sun., June 19 at Golden State, 8 p.m. (ABC)*

* if necessary

Smart, Williams available to play tonight — 7:35 p.m.

The Celtics’ pregame injury report is out. Both Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are available for Boston.

From 11th place to this moment: What Ime Udoka had to say — 7:25 p.m.

Ime Udoka was asked the following before the game:

As late as January 16, this team was in 11th place. During the toughest parts earlier in the season, could you ever have imagined you’d be on the verge of a Finals?

Here’s what he had to say:

“We weren’t even thinking that far down the road honestly. We were thinking about getting healthy, understanding the system we were trying to put in place.

“We always had glimpses of success. We were just trying to be consistent for the most part, understanding that we were really good defensively all along. Offensively trying to get our guys on the same page, get them to understand what we needed from them. That was the goal at that point.

“But we did see good things early on at times. Just up and down, inconsistent a little bit. But we were always optimistic if we got healthy and our defense would carry over, offensively we’d continue to improve.

“The good signs were we played really good against the big teams. We had some poor losses against some of the lesser teams. For the most part we were competing against the best teams. That bodes well for the future.

“I think we finally flipped the script, got healthy at the right time and here we are.”

One thing this Cs team hasn’t had to practice much? Crunch time. — 7:15 p.m.

By Adam Himmelsbach

In the Celtics’ opening game of these playoffs, Nets star Kevin Durant missed a jump shot with 12 seconds left and Boston raced upcourt trailing by 1 point. The wild, frenetic play ended when Marcus Smart found Jayson Tatum for a layup just before the buzzer, giving Boston a thrilling 115-114 win and seemingly setting the stage for a wild postseason.

But things have been pretty lopsided ever since.

The playoffs have been defined by big runs and blowouts, and that generally has robbed fans of the crazy finishes that tend to define this time of year.

Six of the Celtics’ last seven playoff games have been decided by double digits. The Warriors, who advanced to the Finals by defeating the Mavericks in Game 5 Thursday night, have had seven consecutive games decided by 9 points or more.

Read the rest of the story here.

Will Celtics have Rob Williams or Marcus Smart? — 7:05 p.m.

Ime Udoka wouldn’t reveal if Marcus Smart or Robert Williams will play tonight.

“Same as usual with those two,” the Celtics coach said about two hours before the game. “They’ll get tested at the 90-minute mark, see how they feel. Did a little bit of shootaround today, but it’s always a game-time decision. See if they continue to progress throughout the day.”

Smart has been battling an ankle sprain. Williams is still dealing with discomfort in his left knee after tearing his meniscus at the end of the regular season.

Tyler Herro is out for Miami — 7:00 p.m.

The Heat will, for the third straight game, be without Tyler Herro.

The Miami guard suffered a groin injury earlier in the series.

Kyle Lowry and Jimmy Butler are both banged up as well, but are expected to play.

The Celtics have been here before. Can they get past those memories of missed opportunities and into the NBA Finals? — 6:50 p.m.

By Adam Himmelsbach

In May 2018, a Celtics team without injured All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward marched to the Eastern Conference finals, where it was a clear underdog against LeBron James and the Cavaliers.

But when Boston pushed to a 3-2 series lead behind fearless young stars Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, the narrative shifted. The Celtics had a wonderful opportunity for an improbable trip to the NBA Finals.

They lost Game 6 in Cleveland before returning to TD Garden, where they had been 10-0 in those playoffs. Then they scored 79 points in Game 7 and watched James march on once more.

Now in the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth time in six years, the Celtics are in a similar situation. But this one certainly feels more sturdy. They return home Friday night with a 3-2 lead over the reeling Heat, on the verge of the franchise’s first Finals berth since 2010. The memories of missed opportunities are still there.

Read the rest of the story here.

Nicole Yang can be reached at nicole.yang@globe.com.Follow her on Twitter @nicolecyang. Chad Finn can be reached at chad.finn@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeChadFinn. Katie McInerney can be reached at katie.mcinerney@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter at @k8tmac. Scott Thurston can be reached at scott.thurston@globe.com.