Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics reaction: Porzingis dominates in ugly loss for CLE
Jayson Tatum scored 22 points, Derrick White added 20 and the Boston Celtics showed their championship makeup down the stretch with a 112-105 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night in a matchup of the Eastern Conference’s top teams.
The defending NBA titlists executed in the final minutes and held off the Cavs, who lost for just the fourth time in 28 home games.
Kristaps Porzingis added 19 points and Jaylen Brown 16 with nine rebounds as Boston won its fourth straight and improved to 2-1 against Cleveland this season.
Donovan Mitchell scored 31 points and Darius Garland 25 for the Cavs, who cut a 15-point deficit to four in the fourth quarter.
But the Celtics, who have won four straight, didn’t buckle and responded in every crucial moment to put away the Cavs.
Jarrett Allen had 17 points and 18 rebounds for Cleveland.
Takeaways
Celtics: Porzingis’ presence makes Boston that much tougher to defend. The 7-foot-3 big man was injured and missed last year’s playoff series against Cleveland. The Cavs continually got caught making bad switches while trying to guard Porzingis.
Cavaliers: All-Star Evan Mobley had a rough night. He finished with just 7 points on 3 of 14 shooting and failed to make a significant impact at either end. Mobley recently returned from a calf injury and doesn’t seem to have his explisiveness back.
Key moment
After the Cavs pulled within four late in the fourth, White hit a short jumper followed by back-to-back 3-pointers to give Boston a 107-97 lead with 2:41 left.
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7 Comments
The pretty cavaliers have same team 2 years ago small team in low post can’t depend on dean wade this is a joke 2 years same shit no back up center no back up power forward
Cavs wont win a chip until they get 6,10 wing. Until then we always play at the Celtics pace
I just want to say Kristaps is a flopping flopper, and sucks, and will
Probably get hurts because he flops so much. That is all
Pressure game for Cavs against bigger, more physical team, which is a problem for them. Weaker bigs, smaller guards, they have to shoot very well to win. The free flowing offense of the regular season breaks down under playoff conditions. They made a run but White killed them down the stretch. Cavs aren't built for Boston.
Kenny atkins defensive philosophy is questionable
No team with Strus (or Okoro) in the starting lineup will win a championship. Also, can someone tell my why Tatum is allowed to use his off arm to push defenders on their butts? That dude beats everyone up and there is rarely a whistle. Did the rules change and I missed it? Are you allowed to dribble with one hand and use your other elbow and arm to push your defender out of the way? I get boxing out/backing down. That is using the back of your body, not throwing your defender away with a violent move from your elbow.
Before the game started, I knew they were going to struggle without Wade. I think Danny Green (on your show) said it right, they aren’t ready to win it all this year. Let’s enjoy the ride and keep your expectations real.