CLEVELAND — Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Cavs 103-96 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Undermanned Celtics pull out victory: It was by no means pretty on a night that the Celtics were playing without two of their top scorers in Kyrie Irving (sore hip) and Marcus Morris (sore knee), but the visitors turned up the intensity in the fourth quarter and grinded their way to a 103-96 victory at Quicken Loans Arena. Jayson Tatum led the way with a team-high 25 points, while three other plays chipped in with double figures, including a stellar performance by Gordon Hayward (18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) off the bench. The win marked Boston’s fifth straight overall and 12th in their past 13 games. Colin Sexton had a game-high 27 points for the undermanned Cavs, who are just a half game out of the worst record in the NBA.
Tatum sets career-high from free throw line: While the Celtics defense was nowhere to be found for most of the night, Boston’s offense continued rolling in the scoring department. The team shot above 50 percent for the second straight game and got some much-needed help at the charity stripe from Tatum who knocked down all 12 of his free throws on the night, which set a new career-high for the 20-year-old.
TURNING POINT
In the midst of a back-and-forth fourth quarter, the Celtics finally started to box out and hunker down on the defensive end, which allowed them to put together a 7-0 run with four minutes remaining in the frame. The outburst gave them their first double-digit lead of the game and allowed them to coast
TWO UP
Gordon Hayward: In his first game back at Quicken Loans Arena in nearly 18 months, the swingman delivered one of his best all-around games in weeks. He attacked the basket with good aggression in the pick-and-roll, scoring 10 points and dishing out four assists in the first half alone while posting a team-high plus 11. He finished with 18 on the night on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.
Jayson Tatum: The 20-year-old looked like a man on a mission to get to the free-throw line in the first half, piling up six trips to the charity stripe on his way to a team-high 13 points before the break and a career-night from the line. There was limited settling against an undermanned Cavs defense by Tatum and that was needed on a night the C’s were without two of their best scoring options in Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris.
TWO DOWN
Jaylen Brown: In the midst of a hot streak, Brown received his first start in more than a month but failed to maintain the momentum. He missed 10 of his first 14 shots, failing to finish on a number of point-blank layups on his way to a 6-of-19 shooting night. The cold shooting stretch marked the first time in five games during which he shot under 40 percent from the field.
Defensive rebounding: This has been an area dipping for weeks now and it is only going to get worse with Aron Baynes missing the next couple of weeks. Without Marcus Morris in the lineup on Tuesday, Boston went with Tatum at the 4 and sprung leaks all over the glass. Cleveland piled up 14 offensive rebounds and 18 second-chance points in the first three quarters alone, keeping the game competitive despite a big edge for the Celtics in field goal percentage and turnovers.
TOP PLAY
WINDMILL JB pic.twitter.com/3iO1bkwWqF
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) February 6, 2019