The contest did not disappoint despite a slow start on both ends of the court, with stellar defense and grimy play making for a clash of Eastern titans to remember. Ultimately, the Celtics outlasted the Cavs to the tune of 112-105 with superior firepower and more judicious deployment of players dealing with foul trouble.
Let’s take a more granular look at the action as it unfolded.
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First Quarter
The first frame of this matchup began with both clubs clearly keyed up to play one another, with tight defense and a lot of turnovers dominating the early going of what started as a low-scoring affair. That trend continued while the two clubs shot 10-of-30 to start as Jaylen Brown and Jarrett Allen picked up a pair of early fouls, staying in the game.
With just over four minutes to play, Brown was still the only Celtic to score, leading the Cavs by 5. Boston finally saw Payton Pritchard and Derrick White get on the board to open up an 18-13 lead, and finished the quarter on a hot streak, stretching that lead to 28-15.
Second Quarter
As the second quarter began, the Celtics extended their lead to 18 as the Cavs continued their woes from deep. A foul called on Sam Hauser blocking a shot from Sam Merrill from beyond the arc triggered a Boston challenge that failed due to supposed nonincidental contact from an otherwise clean attempt for a bit of drama that gave the Cavs a some life.
But Hauser hit back from 3 soon after, and Boston continued to attack inside to build their lead to 20. Cleveland didn’t fold, however, and cut the lead to 8, the two teams going into the half with Boston leading 54-44.
Third Quarter
The penultimate frame saw the Cavs cut it to 7 early as Jrue Holiday continued to struggle from the floor, but Boston answered while keeping the clamps on Cleveland. The Cavs threatened to make a run several times, but the Celtics held it to double digits for much of the quarter until Brown’s frustration with an offensive foul call led to a technical and Max Strus got on the board.
An Allen make cut Boston’s lead to 6 with Brown on the bench, and Boston came roaring back to push the lead to double digits, the Celtics leading 87-75 to head into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
The final frame saw Brown get back on the court and Boston push the lead back to 15 as coach Kenny Atkinson called a quick timeout in frustration. The Cavs collected themselves to make another run, whittling down the Celtics lead to 4. But Boston dug deep and held off the Cavs with a pair of late Derrick White treys put the Celtics up by 10.
Garland hit back with a trey of his own, with Porzingis cutting to the cup to get to the line, making both. But the Cavs guard responded with a 3 Pritchard fouled him on for a 4-point play. An ill-advised foul from Donovan Mitchell on Tatum sealed Cleveland’s fate, however, the Celtics winning 112-105.
