The Cleveland Cavaliers got a measure of revenge over the Boston Celtics tonight with a big 115-111 win. The Cavaliers showed a lot of grit and tenacity, overcoming a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter to come back and steal the win from their conference rivals.
Donovan Mitchell was absolutely sensational, scoring 35 points (12-21 FG), seven rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block. Darius Garland also put up a decent stat line with 22 points (5-12 FG), five rebounds, and eight assists. Caris LeVert came off the bench to contribute a strong 13 points (6-11 FG), six rebounds, one assist, and one steal.
As for the Celtics, they were far from poor tonight, led by Jayson Tatum with 33 (12-27 FG), eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Payton Pritchard was crucial coming off the bench, with 24 points (7-16 FG), seven rebounds, three assists, and one block. Kristaps Porzingis put up 21 points (7-17 FG), eight rebounds, two assists, and three steals.
The Cavaliers had to fight really hard to win tonight, and here are three reasons why they were able to get the big win over the Celtics to secure their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference:
Donovan Mitchell’s Second Half Explosion
At the end of the first half, Donovan Mitchell entered the locker room with just five points (2-7 FG). It was his sensational second-half performance that helped the Cavaliers turn things around in the fourth quarter and win the game. Mitchell scored 30 points (10-14 FG) in the second half to seal the win.
While Mitchell’s slow start was far from ideal, he more than made up for his poor performance and helped the Cavaliers win. Donovan Mitchell was serenaded with MVP chants by the Cavaliers fans, and given how well he has been playing this season, it would be hard to argue against him.
For the season, Mitchell is averaging 24.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game, while shooting 45.7% from the field, 39.8% from the three-point line, and 80.5% from the free-throw line. If he continues performing at this level and the Cavaliers keep their form, he must be a contender for MVP.
Cavaliers’ Excellent Three-Point Shooting
One of the strengths of the Cavaliers this season was on full display tonight, as their three-point shooting was key to winning the game. The Cavaliers shot 17-36 from the three-point line, converting a whopping 47.2% of their attempts from deep. This shows just how deadly they can be from beyond the arc.
Donovan Mitchell led the team in three-point shooting, going 6-11 from range. Darius Garland was right behind him by making 4-6 of his three-point attempts. Isaac Okoro was the third starter to shoot well from deep, as he went a clean 2-2 from the three-point line.
Combined, the Cavs’ starters went 12-21 from the three-point line, making around 57.1% of their attempts from range. The bench was a little weak, making just 5-15 of their three-point attempts, but still managed to make at least 33% of their shot attempts.
Cavaliers Bench Outscores Celtics Bench
The Cavaliers had five players come off the bench for them, with four of those five players registering a combined 35 points to help the team massively. By contrast, the Celtics only brought four players off the bench, with only two players registering points on the box score, putting a combined 32 points up for the team.
Both Caris LeVert and Georges Niang scored 13 points off the bench, providing some great scoring that many of the Cavaliers’ starters were not able to. Ty Jerome and Sam Merill score six and three points, respectively.
As for the Celtics, Payton Pritchard played a great game off the bench, scoring 24 points, the second-highest by any Celtics player in the game tonight behind Jayson Tatum. Drew Peterson put up eight points off the bench. Jaden Springer and Luke Kornet both laid goose eggs in the scoring column tonight.
This high level of production from the bench is massive and helped the Cavaliers to slowly erase their 14-point deficit to come back and win the game in the fourth quarter. This win solidified the Cavs’ spot at the top of the NBA, and extends their record to 18-3 for the season.
They will now turn their attention to Wednesday night at 7:00 PM EST at home, where they take on the Wizards in their final NBA Cup game.
The Cavs have a 1-2 record in their group, and will not have a chance to qualify to the knockout stages. But with the Celtics still hot on their tail, they will want to win the game and make sure they continue their winning ways.
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