CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – For the second time this season, the Cavs challenged the defending champion Boston Celtics. This time, it was the Cavs who were victorious.
Cleveland overcame a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, and took a 103-101 lead with 1:07 left to play thanks to a Donovan Mitchell jumper. After the Cavs established a three-point lead, the teams exchanged fouls down the stretch. Cleveland made 10 clutch free throws to earn the win.
“I didn’t used to be a foul guy, you know, up three and just changed,” head coach Kenny Atkinson said. “The question is always what time on the shot clock do you start fouling. I think ten seconds is our thing, but I was like screw that, we’re fouling.”
“We live for those moments,” Darius Garland said. “We shoot free throws everyday. We shoot basketballs everyday, so it’s nothing new, just a little bit more pressure and less time on the clock.”
The Cavs have now won seven of their last eight regular season home games against Boston since 2021, with all eight matchups being decided by less than 10 points.
Cleveland’s 115-111 win over the defending champion Boston Celtics snapped a two-game losing streak. The Cavs improved to an NBA-best 18-3 with an 11-1 record at home.
4th quarter duel – The Cavaliers entered the fourth quarter down by 12, and Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum started exchanging buckets.
Donovan Mitchell scored 30 points in the second half after only scoring five in the first half. The five-time All-Star didn’t miss a shot in his 20-point fourth quarter.
With his six made three’s, Mitchell has now made 501 career three-pointers as a member of the Cavaliers. He’s the fastest player to reach 500 threes in Cavs history, doing it in just 143 games, and the 11th player in team history to reach the milestone.
“He got kind of everything in transition,” Atkinson said. “It wasn’t like static, you know, he got it in flow. He was unbelievable.”
Mitchell led all scorers with 35 points, marking the 59th game he’s scored 30-plus points with the Cavs. He passed World B. Free for the second most 30-point games in franchise history.
“I’m honored,” Mitchell said. “I’m always gonna say I’m honored, but you gotta find a way to bring the city another championship and that’s the goal.”
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3rd quarter woes – Cleveland’s weaknesses this season have been their defense and their performance coming out of halftime. Both harmed the Cavs where they were outscored 35-21 in the third quarter.
“It looked like we were down and out that third quarter,” Atkinson said. “They were rolling. We’re all kind of down, and I felt like our defense kept us afloat.”
Jayson Tatum scored 17 points in the third quarter, and Boston made seven three-pointers to claim a 12-point lead heading into the final 12 minutes.
“We knew that if we keep it like ten points reach that we would be pretty good,” Garland said. “We’re really confident in our end of game situations. Anytime we’re within 10 points or less, I think we got a really good chance at winning that game.”
Raining 3’s – The Celtics shoot more three-pointers than anyone in the NBA, and the Cavs matched the defending champs with 17 made threes.
The Cavs have made 10-plus threes in 26 consecutive regular-season games dating back to last season, tying the longest streak in team history (26-straight games from 2017 to 2018).
Celtics injuries – The Celtics were short handed in the 115-111 Cavs win. Jaylen Brown was out with an illness and Derrick White missed the game with a foot injury. The pair combined for 36 points in Boston’s win over the Cavs on November 19th.
Boston relied on Jayson Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis offensively. Tatum finished with 33 points and Porzingis scored 21. They were limited to a combined eight points in the fourth quarter, while Payton Pritchard scored 17 of his 24 points in the last quarter.
Injury update – Cavs forward Dean Wade has missed the last six games with an ankle injury. Wade’s averaging 5.5 points per game through 13 games played this season.
“I don’t think he’s gotten to the contact stage yet, so that means he’s getting closer, progressing, but I don’t see him playing next game,” Atkinson said.
Wade began the season in the starting five in place of Max Strus who has yet to make his season debut with a right ankle sprain.
Up next – The Cavaliers continue their three-game homestand on Tuesday with the Washington Wizards (2-16) coming into town. Cleveland beat Washington earlier this season 135-116 behind a 30-point game by Donovan Mitchell.