Everything you need to know about the Celtics beating the Cavs 116-106 with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics end four-game losing streak: It wasn't pretty at times, but Marcus Smart and Al Horford ensured on Tuesday night that the C's four-game losing streak would come to an end. Smart led the Celtics with 21 points while Horford chipped in with 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists, helping the visitors close out the fourth quarter strong and pull away with a 116-106 victory over a hapless Cavs squad. Jayson Tatum scored all of his 21 points in the first half, stepping up the scoring load for a resting Kyrie Irving, while six different Celtics chipped in with double figures. The win gives Boston a 4-0 season sweep over the Cavs.
Stevens starts Baynes over Morris: After hinting at a possible shift on Sunday night, Aron Baynes made his first start of the season with Al Horford since November, playing a season-high 25 minutes against the Cavs big front line of Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson. Boston had trouble containing the Cavs scoring backcourt with Colin Sexton (24 points) and Jordan Clarkson (18 points) having big guys, but the C's locked in down the stretch with a 14-4 fourth quarter to break open a tie game in the fourth quarter and cruise to the win. The Baynes/Horford duo was a plus-4 in 19 minutes.
Huge showdown looms Friday night with Pacers: The win pulled Boston within 1.5 games of the Pacers with seven games remaining in the regular season. The first of two head-to-head matchups with the Pacers in the race for the No. 4 seed looms Friday night at the Garden. A loss in that matchup would essentially force the C's to play near flawless basketball over the final six games in order to secure home-court advantage in the first round.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics second unit squandered a second-half lead early in the fourth quarter but the team managed to regain control once Horford re-entered the with just over nine minutes remaining. From there, Boston took command with a 14-4 run, breaking open 92-92 tie into a double-digit lead heading into crunch time. The run gave the Celtics enough of a cushion down the stretch to hold off the Cavs.
TWO UP
Horford: In his first game back from a sore knee, Horford maximized his production in 27 minutes. He took only high-quality looks (7-of-10 FG), bullied his way to the rim in mismatches to draw contact (5-of-6 FT) and chipped in with a team-high eight rebounds and five assists on top of his 19 points. It was his best all-around effort in weeks on a night the team needed it.
Jayson Tatum in the first half: The 21-year-old shook out of his shooting slump in the first half, carrying the scoring load in Kyrie Irving’s absence with 21 points before the break on 9-of-14 shooting. He knocked down three 3s for the first time since February 13th, but did not manage to get on the scoreboard in the second half after attempting just three shots.
TWO DOWN
Daniel Theis: Four fouls in nine minutes made his time on the floor ugly for the Celtics defense on most occasions. He’s not getting a friendly whistle from officials this year but his lack of quickness is making him vulnerable against quicker guards in the paints. He lost out on some minutes to Guerschon Yabusele in both halves.
Terry Rozier: The Celtics won another game with him filling in for Irving (8-2 on the year) but his decision-making remains a question mark when it comes to shot selection and defense. Stevens wisely opted to go away from him during crunch time despite the fact the Cavs were playing two quick guards. Rozier went 5-of-13 in 29 minutes.
TOP PLAY
THIS. pic.twitter.com/BZYt6Cm42g
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 27, 2019
