Starting strong against the Boston Celtics has been an issue for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was the case again as they fell down 25-3 after the first five minutes. Cleveland rallied from there and fought back for a 123-116 win behind 41 points from Donovan Mitchell.
This was a tale of two halves. The Celtics were able to get whatever they wanted on offense as they scored 74 first-half points. This was made possible by going 14-26 shooting from three (53.8%). They were led by 30 first-half points from Jayson Tatum and 19 from Jaylen Brown. This all added up to a 10-point lead at the break.
Tatum and Brown kept it going in the second half as they scored 16 and 18 over the final two quarters. Unfortunately for Boston, no one else on the team provided much of anything. Their teammates combined for just eight second-half points, which opened the door for the Cavs comeback.
Mitchell carried the Cavs throughout the second half. Twenty-six of his 41 points came over the final two frames. This included providing 12 points in the fourth. Boston simply had no answer for him down the stretch.
Evan Mobley struggled for the first three quarters but came alive in the fourth. He supplied 11 points on 4-6 shooting with eight rebounds in the fourth quarter to help give the Cavs the win.
The rest of the Cavs starters didn’t have their best stuff.
Darius Garland supplied 20 points on 9-23 shooting with seven assists but was consistently picked on defensively. Although, a few clutch baskets helped make up for that. Jarrett Allen had a tough time when he shared the floor with Mobley and was limited to just 10 points and four rebounds in 23 minutes. Max Strus only contributed two points and was a -19 in under 22 minutes.
The bench saved Cleveland.
De’Andre Hunter showed why Koby Altman went out and got him at the deadline. He finished with 12 points on 3-3 shooting from deep and five rebounds. More importantly, his size allowed the Cavs the option to play small, which spurred on their comeback.
Dean Wade and Isaac Okoro didn’t provide much in the scoring department (they both had five points each), but their defensive impact led to Boston’s tough second half. Wade’s versatility is invaluable in this matchup. Adding Hunter allows Okoro to defend opposing guards instead of wings, which is something he’s much better suited to do. He’s a big reason why Derrick White struggled in the second half.
Ty Jerome didn’t have a huge impact in the scoring department, but his eight first-quarter points allowed the Cavs to turn the momentum after their disastrous start.
This was an impressive win despite Boston being down two starters in Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. The Cavs didn’t have their best stuff, spotted Boston a 22-point lead in the opening five minutes, but still found a way to beat the defending champions in their home building. That is something that previous iterations of this team wouldn’t have done.
The Cavs are now a combined 3-3 against the Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder. They have the best record in the league at 49-10 and have a seven-and-a-half game lead for the top spot in the conference. It’s difficult to ask for too much more at this point of the season.
The Cavaliers continue to show that they have as good of a chance as anyone to win an NBA title this season.
