The Boston Celtics gave the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers their first loss in group play of the NBA Cup. This was one of the most anticipated matchups of the NBA season thus far, and it met the expectations. Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists in the 120-117 victory. Donovan Mitchell scored 35 for Cleveland in defeat. This loss made the Cavaliers 15-1 on the season, and the Boston Celtics improved to 12-3 with the victory.
A Hot Boston Celtics Start
Early on, this game lived up to the hype. The Boston Celtics came out firing, hitting multiple threes to jump out to a 12-4 lead. Jayson Tatum and Al Horford were especially hot. Tatum scored 8 points, while Horford had 6. However, the Cavaliers were quick to respond. Cleveland went on an 8-0 run to trim the Celtics early lead. The scoring was distributed for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley each had 4 points in the first quarter, symbolic of the team basketball they’ve played this season.
Both teams looked evenly matched, but the Boston Celtics initial run had them up 26-20 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, both teams went back and forth. The Cavaliers and Celtics traded buckets, with no team able to build an advantage over the other. Boston was more effective on the perimeter, while Cleveland was more dominant in the paint. This stalemate went on until another Boston Celtics run. They pushed their lead to double digits off a Horford block and a Tatum three. Boston went on a 13-3 run to extend their lead. Tatum was integral in this run, ending the half with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
Horford had 12 points, while Jaylen Brown had 10. Payton Pritchard also scored 10 off the bench. At halftime, the Boston Celtics led 65-48. The large lead off a three-point barrage gave the Celtics a cushion, but Cleveland was not out of it yet. Mitchell had 13 points at the half and Mobley had 8. The biggest difference in the first half was three-point shooting. The Boston Celtics shot 14-of-22 from deep, while Cleveland shot a cold 4-of-14.
A Tight Second Half
The Boston Celtics looked to continue their hot three-point shooting into the third quarter, moving the ball around and getting multiple open looks to fall. However, Cleveland did get a run going in the third quarter. They took advantage of mismatches, particularly on Neemias Queta, and played great team basketball. A Mobley and-one suddenly cut the Celtics lead to ten. This run continued as the Celtics began to cool off from three and Mobley dominated in the paint. It looked like Boston would pull away with this game, building a 21-point lead, but the lead evaporated just as soon.
Through three quarters, the Boston Celtics led 93-88 off a Tatum three to end the quarter. The Cleveland Cavaliers were not ready for their undefeated season to end. Mitchell looked to take over the game in the fourth quarter, getting multiple isolation buckets. While Mitchell got his, the final quarter remained a tight battle. Pritchard drilled a deep three to put Boston up by seven with five and a half minutes to play.
From there, both teams fought tooth and nail, but the Celtics held their lead until a Mitchell layup made it a five-point game, only for an acrobatic finish from Brown to push it back to seven. It looked to be wrapped up for the Celtics from there, only for a deep Mitchell three and a pair of throws to make it a three-point game. But the Boston Celtics held on for a 120-117 win, handing the Cavaliers their first loss of the season.
Final Thoughts
This win pushes the Boston Celtics to a 12-3 record on the season and 1-1 in NBA Cup play. Tatum led the Celtics with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists. Horford had 20 points, shooting 4-of-5 from three, while Derrick White finished with 19. The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered their first loss of the year, dropping to 15-1 and 1-1 in NBA Cup play. Mitchell had a huge game with 35 points and Mobley had a strong 22 points and 11 rebounds. The Cavaliers showed that they are one of the best teams in the NBA, but the defending champion Boston Celtics came out on top.
