BOSTON — Caris LeVert stepped back for another 3-pointer and watched it rattle through the hoop as he fell to the ground, and sat on the floor for a few moments. The Cavaliers guard had just been fouled, but he probably needed a moment to take a breath, too.
Seconds after, the TD Garden crowd started hitting the exits in droves,
LeVert’s four-point play was the dagger on a painful early-season lesson for the Celtics, who learned the Cavs are certainly nothing to mess with this season but also have loads of work left to reach their lofty championship aspirations. Another big lead was lost, and LeVert and co-star Donovan Mitchell showed their defense isn’t quite up to par yet. The duo each scored 41 and overcame the Celtics in the second half as they handed them an ugly 132-123 overtime loss.
“We were still in good position to win the game but we didn’t make the winning plays down the stretch,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said.
The C’s led by as many as 15 after a strong second quarter that put them in control but they lost it in a brutal third quarter and ultimately second half in which the Cavs imposed their will and made every play when it mattered most. LeVert and Mitchell were responsible as they outdueled both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown – who each scored 32 points – down the stretch in a back-and-forth battle.
The Celtics certainly had their chances though. They led by four with less than three minutes to go in regulation when one of their biggest weaknesses – defensive rebounding – cost them in crucial moments. LeVert snagged two offensive boards that led to five Cavs points, including one when he flew into the paint without being accounted for before drilling a 3 that gave them a one-point with 1:10 remaining.
“You just gotta be alert,” Mazzulla said of the defensive rebounding issues. “You gotta see man, see ball. Just maybe personnel. In a situation like that, just gotta understand defensive rebounding is the most important thing. …
“We didn’t close out certain possessions,” Mazzulla continued. “I don’t know if it’s as much of an issue as it is just being more consistent on both ends of the floor and not relaxing and just understanding we have to earn every win. I think that’s what the focus is.”
Brown responded with a running layup as the C’s retook the lead but after Jarrett Allen made one of two free throws to tie the game, the C’s had an opportunity to win on the last play of regulation. Mazzulla opted not to call a timeout as Tatum missed a difficult fadeaway to send the game to overtime.
“I thought about it but I thought (a timeout) would give a chance to get the defense set and let them put a sub in they wanted and let them talk about it,” Mazzulla said. “I was happy with the look that we got.”
In overtime, the Cavs jumped out to a five-point lead but the C’s fought back behind Brown, who hit a 3 before getting fouled on a game-tying transition dunk. That could have changed the momentum, but Brown missed the free throw and on the ensuing Cavs possession, LeVert canned a step-back 3.
The Celtics’ offense got stagnant after that. Tatum missed a pull-up 3 before LeVert converted two free throws the other way, which proved to be the difference as Brown and Tatum coughed up back-to-back turnovers.
LeVert scored the Cavs’ final 11 points – including his nail-in-the-coffin four-point play to send the C’s to their second consecutive loss.
“We have to make winning plays,” Mazzulla said. “We can’t take anything for granted and so we had some empty possessions, we had turnovers and we had offensive rebounds given up. When you do those things, it puts you in a tough spot to win.”
The start was ugly for the Celtics, who were already at a size disadvantage even without the suspended Grant Williams. The Cavs were getting inside with ease and the C’s had little answer. Blake Griffin checked in to make a two-big lineup but picked up three fouls in two minutes and the Cavs built a lead as big as 13.
But the C’s stayed big – rotating Like Kornet and Noah Vonleh into the mix – to match the physicality of the Cavs and finally saw some results toward the end of the first quarter. The Celtics’ second unit – which included Tatum – turned the tides, picked up the defensive intensity and turned it into offense. The C’s went on a 17-4 run to end the frame and took a one-point lead on Sam Hauser’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer.
The C’s carried that momentum into the second quarter as they built a sizable lead behind Tatum and Brown, as the duo combined to score 27 of the Celtics’ 41 points in the period, both stars getting to the hoop with ease and making strong finishes.
The highlight came late in the quarter, when Tatum drove on Jarrett Allen, didn’t force a tough play at the rim and kicked out to Brown, who faked a 3 and then found Tatum, who relocated and drained a corner 3. Brown then found Derrick White for 3 on the next possession as the Celtics built a 14-point lead. With better defense, they ultimately took a 13-point advantage into halftime after a 75-point half against the NBA’s second-ranked defense.
