Two weeks ago, the Celtics marched into Miami and blew out the Heat with a record-breaking offensive performance. They knew the rematch on Sunday wouldn’t be easy.

Then they had to overcome some adversity, too.

Tempers flared in the fourth quarter as Jaylen Brown and Duncan Robinson got in each other’s faces. An otherwise calm afternoon in Miami turned fiery. Suddenly, the NBA’s best rivalry over recent years got heated again. It got chippy. The Heat – even without Jimmy Butler – did what they’ve done so many times. They fought back. They nearly stole a win. But the Celtics have been here before.

The Celtics, this season, are better in these late, tense moments. They proved that again Sunday. The Celtics led by double digits early in the fourth and saw it cut to two in the final minutes, but they ultimately withstood the Heat’s rally to take a 110-106 victory that was reminiscent of their recent playoff battles.

Jayson Tatum scored 26 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists, Kristaps Porzingis had 25 points, Brown had 20 points and Jrue Holiday scored 15 points which included some clutch 3-pointers, as the Celtics held off the undermanned and feisty Heat, who were without Butler (personal reasons) and lost Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson to injury during the game.