Boston Celtics Demolish the Cleveland Cavaliers 125-105 As Jaylen Brown Leads the Way
Sometimes basketball can be beautiful, and sometimes it can be downright ugly. Wednesday night at TD Garden, the Celtics served up the former while the Cavaliers got stuck with the latter in a 125-105 beatdown that had fans heading for the exits with three minutes left.
Jaylen Brown’s Second Quarter Masterclass
Let’s start with the obvious – Jaylen Brown was absolutely cooking in the second quarter. The man dropped 18 points in 12 minutes, going 6-of-7 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Brown finished with 30 points on the night, but that second-quarter burst was the dagger that turned a competitive game into a rout. During one stretch, the Celtics went on a 20-3 run, and Brown was responsible for eight of those points. When you’re hitting shots like that, you start believing you can’t miss.
The hamstring injury that had been bothering him for two weeks? What hamstring injury? Brown looked like he was floating out there, and his 18-point quarter reminded everyone why he’s still one of the most dangerous scorers in the league.
Sam Hauser Catches Fire From Deep
While Brown was stealing headlines, Sam Hauser was quietly having himself a night off the bench. The sharpshooting wing knocked down his first four three-pointers and finished 5-of-6 from deep in just nine first-half minutes. That is the kind of efficiency that makes coaches smile and opposing defenders lose sleep.
Moving Hauser to the bench might have been the best thing that happened to him this season. He’s finding better looks, the team is running more sets to get him open, and he’s shooting 45.2% from three-point range. Not too shabby for a guy who was struggling to find his rhythm as a starter.
Celtics Finally Win the Glass Battle
Remember those early season rebounding disasters in Detroit and New York? Yeah, the Celtics have apparently figured that out. They went toe-to-toe with Cleveland’s formidable frontcourt of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley and came out on top.
The real story was on the offensive glass, where Boston dominated 16-3 in second-chance points. Neemias Queta and Luka Garza combined for six offensive rebounds in the first half alone, giving the Celtics extra possessions and easy buckets. When you’re getting that many second chances against a team like Cleveland, you’re going to put up points in a hurry.
Cavaliers’ Three-Point Dependency Backfires
On the flip side, Cleveland’s offensive approach was about as balanced as a one-legged flamingo. Over half their field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, and they shot just 12 times in the restricted area all game.
Sure, they made 17 threes, but when you’re jacking up 52 attempts from deep and only getting 32.7% of them to fall, you’re playing right into your opponent’s hands. Donovan Mitchell started 5-of-5 from three but didn’t score a single point after the first quarter, finishing with just 15 points on a night when his team needed him most.
The hamstring injury that got Mitchell added to the injury report hours before tipoff clearly affected his explosiveness. Nine of his 12 shots came from beyond the arc because he couldn’t get to the rim like usual.
Joe Mazzulla’s Lineup Experimentation Pays Off
Credit where credit’s due – Joe Mazzulla might have finally found his starting five. Josh Minott got his second career start and delivered with 11 points and 14 rebounds, providing the defensive energy and length this undersized Celtics team desperately needs.
The Celtics are now 2-0 with Minott in the starting lineup, and his ability to crash the offensive glass from the wing position adds a dimension they haven’t had. With Hauser thriving off the bench, this rotation could have some serious staying power.
Boston hits the road to face the 76ers on Friday night, looking to make it three straight wins. Meanwhile, Cleveland heads home to lick their wounds and figure out how to avoid another offensive disaster when they host Toronto on Halloween.
