The Cleveland Cavaliers finally won their first away game of the NBA playoffs, surprising the Boston Celtics and the TD Garden crowd with a 118–94 victory in Game 2 of their second-round series. The series is tied 1-1 heading into Saturday’s Game 3 in Cleveland.
At first, it looked like the Cavs could win a playoff game without Donovan Mitchell scoring the majority of their points. After averaging 39 points over Cleveland’s last three playoff games, Mitchell had just six points at halftime. But he took over in the second half, scoring 16 points in the third quarter and 29 for the game.
Cleveland took control in the second half, outscoring the Celtics 64-40. With about five minutes remaining in the game, Boston coach Joe Mazzulla conceded and placed most of his bench on the field as the home fans headed toward the exits.
The Cavaliers quickly erased a slow start
The Cavs initially fell behind by nine points in the first quarter, but fought back with an 11-0 run fueled by Evan Mobley’s 11 points with help from Caris LeVert’s six off the bench. Cleveland took a 30–24 lead at the end of the quarter, quieting the Boston crowd.
However, Boston came back in the second quarter as Mobley and LeVert calmed down, while Mitchell and Darius Garland did not look for their shots. Jayson Tatum led all scorers in the first half with 16 points, six rebounds and four assists, although he shot 3 of 10 from the field. Al Horford’s 11 points (on 4-of-5 three-point shooting) contributed to a rally that resulted in a 19-3 run for the Celtics and a 54-54 halftime tie.
Mobley’s scoring slowed due to foul trouble, but he still finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. LeVert provided a boost while 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 shot 7 of 17 from the field. No one else on Boston’s roster shot 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 for 19 points.
The Cavs three finally started to go down
Outside shooting was a problem for the Cavaliers during the playoffs, but they had a three-point breakthrough in Game 3. Cleveland shot 46 percent (13-for-28) from behind the arc, led by Mitchell’s 5-for-7. performance with Garland going 4 for 5. Strus added two more three-pointers, with Mobley and Okoro each hitting one.
Meanwhile, the Celtics were the team that struggled to shoot Thursday night. Boston shot 23 percent on its three-point attempts, or 8 for 35. Besides White’s 1-for-8 night, Brown went 0-for-6 and Jrue Holiday shot 0-for-2 as he continued his postseason struggles playoffs.
Jarrett Allen missed his fifth straight playoff game for the Cavs with a right rib contusion, while Kristaps Porzingis has been out of the Celtics’ last two games with a calf injury.
Celtics-Cavaliers Game 3 is scheduled for Saturday in Cleveland. Tip-off is at 8:30 p.m. ET with the broadcast on ABC.
News Source : sports.yahoo.com
Gn sports
