Nikola Vucevic received a standing ovation before making his debut in Boston
Boston fans gave the veteran center Nikola Vucevic a warm welcome during Celtics match against Miami Heat on Friday night.
Vucevic saw the end of his six-year stay with the Chicago Bulls this week. The Celtics moved to acquire him before the trade deadline, getting the experienced center in exchange for Anfernee Simmons.
Vucevic will provide quality rebounding and a solid offensive game that will benefit the Celtics offense through the end of the 2025-26 season. He debuted midway through the first quarter, getting a positive reception from the fans in attendance at TD Garden.
Nikola Vucevic gets a huge ovation from the TD Garden crowd as he enters the game for the first time as a Celtic 🍀
(via @danield1214) pic.twitter.com/c3eHpIk1BI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 7, 2026
As Nikola Vucevic, the Celtics played the 1st half against the Heat
Nikola Vucevic and the Celtics are in a big hole as they trail 59-38 at home against the Heat.
Miami jumped out to a quick lead as Boston was ice cold with their shooting. Although the bench with Vucevic helped stop the bleeding, they were unable to cool the Heat’s hot shooting from the floor during the first 24 minutes of regulation.
Perimeter shooting and ball movement have a huge impact on the game so far. The Heat dominate in both categories after seven 3-pointers and 15 assists. It was the complete opposite for the Celtics as they knocked down just one 3-pointer and dished out seven assists.
Jaylen Brown is the only player to score in double figures for Boston so far. He leads with 17 points, four rebounds, one assist and a block. Peyton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman followed with five points each, Derrick White had four points and three blocks, while Vucevic recorded three points and five rebounds in the first half.
After the match against the Heat, the Celtics will prepare for the next competition. They stay at home to host the New York Knicks on February 8th at 12:30 PM ET.
2026-02-07 01:20:00
