For the third time this season, the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers played each other on Tuesday as part of a seven-game slate. The Celtics won the first matchup at TD Garden on Nov. 19, and the Cavaliers bounced back on Dec. 1 in Cleveland.
Coach Joe Mazzulla used his championship-winning lineup of Jrue Holiday, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis. The Celtics are at their best with a healthy Porzingis, and the defending champs want to extend their current winning streak to four.
Meanwhile, coach Kenny Atkinson’s starting five consisted of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The Cavs are on a four-game winning streak and have the best record in the NBA at 40-9.
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Despite being at home, the Cleveland Cavaliers got off to a slow start and allowed the Boston Celtics to dominate. The Cavaliers didn’t give up and got close in the fourth quarter, but the defending champions held on to get the 112-105 victory.
Jayson Tatum led the way with 22 points, seven assists and two blocks, while Derrick White contributed 20 points, five rebounds and two steals. Jaylen Brown had a great first quarter, but foul trouble limited him to 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Kristaps Porzingis finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, with Al Horford coming up big off the bench. The veteran big man added 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell put up 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists, while Jarrett Allen had 17 points and 18 rebounds. Darius Garland added 25 points and three assists, but Evan Mobley had a stinker of a game with seven points on 14 shots.
Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Player Stats and Box Score
Celtics
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Boston Celtics vs Cleveland Cavaliers Game Summary
The Boston Celtics only had seven points with five minutes left in the first quarter, but they turned it on and scored 22 points to earn a 25-18 lead after the first 12 minutes. The Cleveland Cavaliers went down by as much as 20 points early in the second quarter before making a run and cutting it to just eight at halftime with the score of 52-44.
In the third quarter, the Celtics did their best to keep the hosts at bay and not give the home crowd something to cheer for. They had a comfortable 12-point lead heading into the final period.
Cleveland cut the lead down to four with five minutes remaining in regulation. However, Derrick White made back-to-back 3-point shots to create some separation. It became a free throw game in the final minute as the defending champs sealed the deal 112-105.
Edited by Juan Paolo David
