Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla couldn't help but send a message to forward Jordan Walsh after getting ejected in the NBA Summer League.

The upshot of the Miami Heat’s summer-league victory Monday night against the Boston Celtics was that meaningful boxes were checked off.

LAS VEGAS — The Celtics lost for the first time in Summer League, falling to the Heat 100-96 on Monday at the Cox Pavilion. The C’s rallied from a double-digit deficit but the Heat made just enough shots down the stretch to secure the victory. Boston dropped to 2-1 in Summer League play.

The Heat responded to an 0-2 start in Las Vegas with a 100-96 win over the Boston Celtics' summer squad on Monday at the Pavilion on UNLV's campus. The Heat found itself trailing by four points with 1:53 to play, but closed the game on a 13-5 run to rally for the victory.

LAS VEGAS – Jordan Walsh called his ejection Monday against the Heat a “rookie mistake.” His coach, Joe Mazzulla, watching from high in the bleachers of Cox Pavilion with his family, texted his young swingman and said he “loved” the fire.

It is almost unheard of for a player to make as strong of a case as Bassey has for a spot on the Celtics roster in summer league.

But as painful as this offseason has been thus far for Celtics fans, those minutes up front for Boston is why big man Luka Garza opted to sign a two-year deal in free agency.

Pacome Dadiet and the New York Knicks might still be able to put their best foot forward despite some early Summer League struggles. New York’s one-sided defeat