Everything you need to know about the Cavs’ 121-99 win over the Celtics in quickie form.
Box score
HEADLINES
New-look Cavs hit the ground running: LeBron James (24 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists) was at his best for most of the game while surrounded by four new teammates (Rodney Hood, Larry Nance Jr., Jordan Clarkson, George Hill), and he even got the fourth quarter off as the Cavs outscored Boston by 24 points over the final three frames. Cleveland was red-hot from 3-point range (16-of-30) as its' perimeter shooters got countless open looks set up by James all game. The Cavs torched the Celtics' defense for 90 points over the final three quarters.
It’s officially time to worry about Celtics: They shot a dreadful 40 percent from the field, 26 percent from the deep and turned the ball over 14 times over the game’s final 36 minutes. They’ve had offensive issues all year, but it looked like they were the team playing with four new players. There were a number of defensive breakdowns and ball control issues throughout the contest. After trailing by 26 or more points in three of their last four games (all losses), this group is in the midst of their biggest slump of the season. Going forward, Brad Stevens has his work cut out for him on a number of different fronts.
TURNING POINT
The Cavs trailed 40-38 early in the second quarter, but they took advantage of an incredibly sloppy Celtics team over the final eight minutes of the frame, outscoring Boston 26-12 over that span. Boston turned the ball over seven times in that stretch, and the Cavs scored nine points off of those miscues, including several fast break opportunities. The run set the stage for Cleveland’s dominance over the final three quarters.
ONE UP
Kyrie Irving in the first quarter: The All-Star was red-hot early, scoring nine points in the first nine minutes of the game, including a pretty stepback jumper over James that had the Garden crowd going bonkers. He finished his night with 18 points, but struggled from 3-point range (1-of-7 from deep).
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown: The 21-year-old has come up with big games against James early in his career, but his performance on Sunday was arguably his biggest dud of the season. He finished with just four points and missed seven of his nine shots, including all five 3-point attempts. He lacked aggression attacking the paint (just four 2-point attempts) and was involved in several defensive breakdowns that resulted in wide open 3s for the Cavs in transition.
Greg Monroe: It’s hard to get on the big man too much in just his third Celtic game without having a benefit of a practice. However, Monroe’s second-quarter stint put his weaknesses on full display. He failed to rotate for help defense on multiple occasions and struggled with the Cavs’ athleticism and speed on both ends. Monroe will help the Celtics against some opponents this year, but the Cavs are just not a good matchup for him.
TOP PLAY
Kyrie with a pretty stepback
Kyrie stepback = ? pic.twitter.com/C6JiU8qzIk
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 11, 2018
