The Cleveland Cavaliers made a statement in the NBA playoffs on Thursday, surprising the Boston Celtics and the TD Garden crowd with a 118–94 win in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference second-round series. The victory ties the series at 1-1 as the teams head to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday.
The Cavaliers’ star guard Donovan Mitchell, who had been on fire in recent games, had a slow start with just six points in the first half. But he turned it up in the second half, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and finishing the game with 29. The Cavaliers took control of the game in the second half, outscoring the Celtics 64-40. By the final minutes, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla threw in the towel, sending his bench to the court as fans began to leave.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Cavs, though. Early in the first quarter, they fell behind by nine points. But they turned things around with an 11-0 run, largely thanks to Evan Mobley’s 11 points and Caris LeVert’s six points off the bench. This gave Cleveland a 30-24 lead at the end of the quarter, silencing the Boston crowd.
Boston made a comeback in the second quarter, with Jayson Tatum leading the way. He had 16 points in the first half, along with six rebounds and four assists, despite shooting just 3-for-10 from the field. Al Horford also contributed with 11 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. The Celtics’ 19-3 run led to a halftime tie at 54-54.
In the second half, Mobley, who had to deal with foul trouble, still managed to put up 21 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. LeVert added 21 points and six rebounds, providing the boost the Cavaliers needed while Mitchell and Darius Garland were slow to get going. Garland finished with 14 points, while Isaac Okoro and Max Strus contributed 12 each.
Tatum ended the game with 25 points for the Celtics, but his shooting woes continued, hitting only 7-of-17 from the field. Derrick White had a rough night with 10 points on 3-of-11 shooting, including 1-for-8 from three-point range. Jaylen Brown struggled as well, going 7-for-17 for 19 points.
The Cavaliers, who had been struggling with outside shooting in the playoffs, had a breakthrough in Game 2, shooting 46 percent (13-for-28) from behind the arc. Mitchell led the way with 5-of-7 from three-point range, with Garland adding 4-of-5. Strus, Mobley, and Okoro each hit a three-pointer.
In contrast, the Celtics had a dismal night from three-point range, hitting just 22.9 percent (8-for-35). White’s 1-for-8 performance was part of the problem, and Brown went 0-for-6. Jrue Holiday continued his postseason slump with 0-for-2 from deep.
Both teams were missing key players due to injuries. The Cavaliers were without Jarrett Allen, who missed his fifth straight playoff game with a right rib contusion. The Celtics were without Kristaps Porziņģis, who has been out for the past two games with a calf injury.
Game 3 of the series will be held in Cleveland on Saturday, with a tipoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC.
