The Cleveland Cavaliers finally won their first road game of the NBA playoffs, surprising the Boston Celtics and the TD Garden crowd with a 118–94 victory in the second game of their second-round series. The series is tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 on Saturday in Cleveland.
At first, it looked like the Cavs could win a playoff game without Donovan Mitchell scoring most of their points. After averaging 39 points in Cleveland’s last three playoff games, Mitchell scored just six points at halftime. But he took charge in the second half, scoring 16 in the third quarter and 29 in the game.
Cleveland took control in the second half, outscoring the Celtics 64–40. With about five minutes left in the game, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla conceded and put most of his bench on the court as home fans headed for the exits.
Cavaliers quickly erased slow start
The Cavs initially fell behind by nine points in the first quarter, but rallied with an 11-0 run fueled by Evan Mobley’s 11 points with the help of Caris LeVert’s six off the bench. Cleveland took a 30-24 lead late in the quarter, calming the Boston crowd.
However, Boston bounced back in the second quarter as Mobley and LeVert cooled off, while Mitchell and Darius Garland didn’t go for their shots. Jayson Tatum led all scorers in the first half with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, although he was 3 of 10 from the field. Al Horford’s 11 points (on 4-of-5 three-point shooting) helped spark a comeback that resulted in a 19-3 Celtics run and a 54-54 halftime tie.
Mobley’s scoring dipped due to foul trouble, but he still finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. LeVert provided a boost as Mitchell and Garland tried to warm up, adding 21 points and six rebounds. Garland added 14 points, and Isaac Okoro and Max Strus each scored 12.
Tatum scored 25 total points for the Celtics, but was 7 of 17 from the field. No one else in Boston’s lineup shot much better. Derrick White had 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting (including 1-of-8 from three). Jaylen Brown had the best shooting night, going 7 of 15 to score 19 points.
Cavs’ three-pointers finally started to drop
Outside shooting has been a problem for the Cavaliers throughout the playoffs, but they made a breakthrough in three-point shooting in Game 3. Cleveland shot 46 percent (13 of 28) from behind the arc, led by 5 of 7 Mitchell. performance with Garland going 4 for 5. Strus added another two from three-point range, with Mobley and Okoro making one each.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were the team that struggled to shoot Thursday night. Boston shot 23 percent on three-point attempts, going 8 for 35. In addition to White’s 1-for-8 night, Brown went 0-for-6 and Jrue Holiday went 0-for-2 as he continued his struggles in the postseason.
Jarrett Allen missed his fifth straight playoff game with the Cavs with a right rib bruise, while Kristaps Porzingis has been out of the Celtics’ last two games with a calf injury.
Game 3 of Celtics-Cavaliers is scheduled for Saturday in Cleveland. Kickoff is at 8:30 pm ET with the broadcast on ABC television.