If something has become clear this season, it is that the duels between the Cavaliers and Celtics are synonymous with spectacle. After losing their first two meetings to Cleveland in overtime, Boston has taken the last meeting between the two in this regular season by 117-113, a more even score than the clash actually was. The locals dominated quite clearly throughout the second half, and although Bickerstaff’s side managed to reduce the gap in the final moments, they were never in a real position to come back.
The great incentive of the night was therefore in the face to face between Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell, who responded with 41 and 44 points respectively and offered a sensational duel. The Celtics, who also finished with 11 rebounds and 8 assists, displayed his enormous amount of resources to score from various positions, while Mitchell, somewhat more inconsistent from the triple (4/12), exhibited his agility and explosiveness to add to the painting. Both shone especially in the third quarter, in which 18 and 19 of their respective goals came, but in which Tatum found himself better surrounded and helped his team to break the game.
Mazzulla’s men came to be 21 above in this period (89-68), driven both by Jayson and by the efficiency from three times the rest of the men, who combined for a 6/7 in said matter in this period. Al Horford and Jaylen Brown, who finished with 23 and 16 points, were their main squires, allowing the lead not to shrink too much until the final seconds despite Donovan’s efforts.
The Cavaliers guard was somewhat more alone, because despite the fact that Darius Garland finished with some striking 29 points and 9 assists, the truth is that his explosion came a little late. The point guard scored 11 of his goals 75 seconds into the game, which served for little more than to make up the score of a duel that had already been decided.
The Ohioans also got a notable scare when they saw Mitchell put his foot down strangely and fall to the ground, forcing Cleveland to call a timeout to give him time to recover. Despite the fact that he was able to continue on the court, the player told the journalists present that he felt pain similar to the one he felt when he suffered the groin injury that caused him to miss some games at the end of January, and Bickerstaff stated that he will have to be evaluated. to estimate the extent of the situation.
“I spoke to him and he told me that he wanted to continue playing,” said the coach. «He knew that if he sat in the area he would get cold, he would stiffen and it would be more difficult for him to return. We talked to the doctors, and since he felt capable of continuing, we kept him on track.
(Cover photo: Winslow Townson/Getty Images)
