The Celtics rallied from a 15-point deficit on Tuesday night to secure a 120-113 win over the Cavaliers at TD Garden.
Jaylen Brown (25 points) and Jayson Tatum (25 points, 10 rebounds) led the way for Boston in the rally that gave Boston their 11th straight win at home to begin the year. Kristaps Porzingis also shook off a shaky first half to chip in with 21 points and 10 rebounds as all five Boston starters in double figures. Donovan Mitchell had a game-high 29 points in the setback.
Boston fell behind 18-4 in the opening minutes after a brutal shooting start but found their rhythm midway through the first half to chip away at Cleveland’s lead. The comeback led to a nip-and-tuck second half as stars from both teams traded baskets until the Celtics used a 9-0 run midway through the frame to crate some separation.
The win was Boston’s second straight overall and improved the team to 11-0 on the year at TD Garden amid a five-game homestead. Boston gets a rematch against the Cavs on Thursday night.
Here are four takeaways from the Celtics win:
Celtics start the game flat
With a three-day layoff and just one game over the past week, Boston looked like a rusty team for much of the first quarter. Cleveland opened the game with an 18-4, digging an early hole against a Celtics squad that struggled to protect both the 3-point line and the paint in the early going against Donovan Michell and Darius Garland. Offensively, the Celtics were even worse, hitting just four of their first 18 shots including nine straight misses from beyond the arc. Jaylen Brown (10 first quarter points) kept Boston afloat until the bench unit started to put a dent in the Cavs deficit in the second quarter.
Jaylen Brown shakes off ankle scare, delivers efficient night
The Celtics All-Star made the TD Garden a bit nervous at the end of the first half when he rolled his ankle on an awkward layup. He pulled himself out of the game on the next possession and immediately limped to the locker room. However, the pain was shortlived as Brown was back on the floor for the start of the second half and scored the first five points of the third quarter for the hosts. The stretch highlighted another efficient night for the All-Star in December as he shot over 50 percent from the field for the third straight game.
Celtics get back into the game at the free throw line
Joe Mazzulla talked plenty before the season about trying to win games in different ways when the team’s shooting isn’t there. The hosts put that mentality on display on Tuesday night by erasing a 15-point first half deficit largely thanks to their aggression. Boston piled up a 16-2 edge at the free throw line in the first half with Jayson Tatum leading the way with his aggression against smaller and slow-footed defenders. That mentality also kept perimeter kickouts open for Boston all night as the team shook off nine straight misses from 3-point range to begin the game to finish at 40.9 percent from the night with the Cavs defense collapsing on paint drives.
Celtics stay undefeated at home
This was their toughest test of the year at TD Garden for the hosts as they dug themselves a 15-point hole in the first quarter against a playoff opponent with Donovan Mitchell putting on a show early. However, the Celtics managed to right the ship in this one, steadying their defense while getting a balanced scoring attack from the starters to attack the Cavs’ weak spots. It was a formulaic approach but it was evidence of an improved Celtics team this year that finds different ways to win on their home floor. More tough tests await this week with a rematch against the Cavs and two straight against the Magic but it was impressive to see Boston pull off a victory despite off shooting nights from Tatum and Porzingis.
