The Boston Celtics defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113 Tuesday night at the Garden. Boston’s star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown led the way for the home team, combining for 50 points, and with the win, the Celtics move to 17-5 on the season and 11-0 at home.
The Celtics got out to an icy start, shooting 0-for-9 from 3 to open the game en route to a season-low 21 first quarter points. Boston soon found its offensive footing, however, ending the game 18-for-44 from 3 overall. In total, it was a collective offensive effort for the Celtics, and each of the five starters in green scored 11 or more points. And while the defense wasn’t always pretty, Boston made enough stops down the stretch to survive an ugly opening and dig out a victory.
Let’s take a closer look at a 120-113 Tuesday night victory for the Celtics over the visiting Cavaliers.
PHOTOS: Boston vs. Cleveland – Celtics overcome slow start, beat Cavaliers 120-113 at home https://t.co/y7GcXUL97d pic.twitter.com/auo7hQdsQv
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 13, 2023
Boston's offense
The name of the game was scoring by committee for Boston. Brown dropped 10 points in the first quarter. Tatum scored 13 points in the second quarter, and Kristaps Porzingis had 13 in the third. These outbursts helped Boston erase an early deficit, but they enough to help Boston build any sort of lead, however. Things remained close well into the fourth quarter.
One of the problems was Boston’s frequent turnovers. As a team, the Celtics had 13 giveaways, many of these coming just as they began to build a bit of momentum. Stop me if you’ve heard this one, although Cleveland has one of the best defenses in the NBA, especially when it comes to forcing turnovers.
Importantly, Boston took care of business from the free throw line, and as a team, the Celtics went a perfect 26-for-26 at the foul line. Throw in 12 offensive rebounds and the home team did enough to overcome their early struggles.
Celtics Lab 131: Assessing the 2023-24 trade season around the NBA with A. Sherrod Blakely https://t.co/IgAGd4rsMg via @thecelticswire pic.twitter.com/c9gdECwpJs
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 12, 2023
Boston's defense
Cleveland came into Tuesday’s action with the 25th best offensive rating in the league, but against the Celtics, they scored with ease. Not only did Boston struggle to protect the paint, but the Cavs also made it look easy shooting the ball.
Donovan Mitchell was by far Cleveland’s most effective weapon on offense, and the gravity he commanded handling the ball left Boston’s defenders overexposed. But after scoring in bunches early on, Mitchell was slowed to a halt. He had just two points in the fourth quarter.
Cleveland still shot 47.8% for the game with 27 assists to boot. The Cavs had a nice scoring effort. But Boston’s defense was good enough, especially in crunch time.
Kristaps Porzingis tells us why he chose the Boston Celtics https://t.co/Gwhhst2TPG pic.twitter.com/3yl6m6F18I
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 12, 2023
Final thoughts
Tonight’s game opened an interesting homestand for Boston. The Celtics will host the Cavaliers again Thursday night, a chance for the Cavs to seek revenge. After that, Boston has twin home games against the Orlando Magic over the weekend.
The Celtics then embarks on a brief road trip out west. This ends with an exciting Christmas Day tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Mazzulla on why assistant coach Sam Cassell's experience is a 'gift' https://t.co/uM1POwHwEi pic.twitter.com/sBmUTBixCm
— The Celtics Wire (@TheCelticsWire) December 13, 2023
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