The Celtics defeated the Cavaliers 109-102 on Monday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland to lead the series 3-1. The Cavs will face elimination on Wednesday at TD Garden.
Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell missed the game with a left calf injury. Jayson Tatum, the other star of the series, quickly stood out. The 26-year-old scored 16 points in the first quarter alone. Boston led 37-30 after 12 minutes.
In Mitchell’s absence, Max Strus took his game up a notch. He made his first five three-pointers and scored 15 points in the first half. Cleveland made 11 baskets from downtown in the first 24 minutes of play, a team high in the playoffs in 2024. The score was 62-57 for the visitors at halftime, however.
The Cavaliers fought well in the second half. They took the lead early in the third quarter and came back late in the fourth quarter to put pressure on the Celtics. The latter, however, escaped with the victory, thanks in part to a three-point basket from Jaylen Brown with a little over a minute left in the game to make it 105 to 97.
Brown finished the game with 27 points and 8 rebounds, while Tatum had 33 points, 11 rebounds and five assists. For the Cavs, Darius Garland led the team in points scored with 30.
This defeat brings Cleveland’s record to 12 wins and 16 losses without Donovan Mitchell this season.
2024-05-14 01:48:55
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