The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers Thursday night, grabbing a 116-107 victory. With the win, the Celtics improve to 12-0 at home to open the year, the best such mark since the 2007-08 season.
This was the second matchup in three nights between the two clubs. On Tuesday, Boston grabbed a 120-113 win, erasing an icy start that saw the Celtics score a season-low 21 points in the first quarter. Things looked a bit different here on Thursday, and the Celtics scored 33 points on 12-for-20 shooting from the field in the first period alone. That said, turnovers and bad fouls kept Boston from building a big lead, a consistent theme throughout the night.
Regardless, five Celtics players scored 14 or more points. It wasn’t always pretty, but here’s what you may have missed from a 116-107 Celtics win.
PHOTOS: Boston vs. Cleveland – Celtics stave off Cavs 116-107 to stay undefeated at home https://t.co/dUIKN2OH2t pic.twitter.com/j3tbnO9DMA
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 15, 2023
Boston's offense
Boston’s scoring attack was white-hot to open the game. At halftime, they were shooting 57% from the field and 47% from 3. This cooled off in the second half, however, and the Celtics finished a pedestrian 43-for-85 from the field overall and 13-for-36 from deep.
It was the Celtics ball movement that got it done in the end. They logged 22 assists on the night. Smart passing kept Boston’s offense from stagnating even when the shots weren’t falling, leading to a number of key baskets at the rim, too. In fact, many of Boston’s 13 turnovers were the result of ambitious passing rather than careless or selfish play.
Those giveaways did muck things up a bit. As did the 11 fouls called against the Celtics through the third period. Still, because Boston consistently looked to make the right play, they fought off a late-game push by the Cavs and secured a win.
On why the Boston Celtics' Derrick White should be an All-Star https://t.co/mr1KQdYj4I pic.twitter.com/P4pvUea50D
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 14, 2023
Boston's defense
Boston’s defense was especially effective at making the Cavs uncomfortable. Outside of Donovan Mitchell, who shot 12-for-24 from the field and logged 31 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists points, Cleveland struggled to find any mojo.
Credit Boston’s defensive approach. Head coach Joe Mazzulla spoke pregame about employing different looks throughout the game to keep Cleveland guessing. And indeed, the Cavs often looked befuddled on offense, coughing up 16 turnovers for the game, leading to 20 points for the Celtics.
Derrick White was a big part of this. The All-Defensive guard had 3 steals on the night, and his tenacious brand of defense was on full display, and he greatly exposed Cleveland’s confusion. Jayson Tatum, meanwhile had 3 blocks to go with his 27 points and 11 rebounds.
Drew Peterson 2023-24 G League highlights: Welcome to the Boston Celtics https://t.co/LaOQRy4k0E pic.twitter.com/2ykmCcetkk
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 14, 2023
Final thoughts
After taking care of business in twin home games against the Cavaliers, the Celtics begin a new home-and-home series this weekend versus the frisky Orlando Magic. At the time of this writing, the Magic are 16-7 on the year with a win over Boston back in November.
As such, the Celtics have an opportunity for a small dose of revenge tomorrow night, with another game against Orlando Sunday afternoon. From there, Boston heads out on the road for a quick West Coast road trip.
Checking in on the Boston Celtics' options at the start of the NBA's 2023-24 trade season https://t.co/JLyXwme4xr pic.twitter.com/v5acWAbFo5
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 14, 2023
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