Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 110-88 victory over the Cavs with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Gordon Hayward looks sharp in return: The story of the night was the 29-year-old forward who was back in the Celtics lineup after a 13-game absence. Despite not having suited up for a month, Hayward showed no signs of rust over his 26 minutes, stuffing the box score with 14 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. While he misfired on both of his 3s, he was lethal against an underwhelming Cavs defense in the paint, with a couple of nifty finishes around the rim and some superb navigation of the pick-and-roll to set up his teammates. Any concerns of re-integrating him in with this group will quickly fade after this performance and the Cavs seemed like the perfect opponent for him to come back against.
Celtics win their fourth straight game behind a stellar effort from starters: With the starting five back at full strength for the first time in a month, they toyed with the Cavs, combining to shoot 35-of-56 (62.5 percent) from the field with all five players in double figures. Kemba Walker led the way with a team-high 22 points and 7 assists while Jayson Tatum (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Jaylen Brown (20 points) chipped in with big nights. The blowout victory gave Boston their fourth straight win overall and improved the team to 10-0 at the TD Garden on the season.
Grant Williams finally hits a 3: The rookie finally broke through after an 0-for-25 shooting slump from downtown to begin the year with a stepback 3 on the left wing in the midst of the C’s third-quarter run. It was the only make of the night for Williams who tallied three points in 13 minutes, taking some playing time that injuries to Marcus Smart (eye infection) and Rob Williams (sore hip) opened up. While it remains to be seen whether Williams will be able to develop into a consistent 3-point shooter, getting the monkey off his back should only help him going forward.
TURNING POINT
After looking lethargic for much of the second quarter after building an early double-digit lead, the hosts came out of halftime with a purpose, opening up the first eight minutes of the third quarter with a 24-10 run to push the lead up to 29 points. The Cavs fought back at times in the final 18 minutes but the hill was far too steep.
TWO UP
Gordon Hayward: No signs of rust from the 29-year-old after a four-week layoff as the former All-Star did a little bit of everything out of the gate, piling up 14 points (7/10 FG), 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal without even playing any fourth-quarter minutes.
Jaylen Brown: The swingman’s hot shooting stretch continued through the first half as he scored a game-high 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. His size advantage against Cleveland’s young backcourt allowed him to get to the paint at will.
TWO DOWN
Jayson Tatum’s first half: A sloppy performance early on from the 22-year-old, who played it pretty loose against a dismal Cavs team, including an ugly behind the back turnover that earned the ire of Brad Stevens. He shot just 3-of-9 from the field in the opening two quarters. He bounced back after the break to tally his third double-double of the season.
Enes Kanter’s defense: The bench unit has been a source of energy lately but came out flat in the first half of this one, as Kanter had a target on his back on the defensive end. Despite playing against one-dimensional pieces like Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson, the C’s gave up good looks against the pick-and-roll, helping the Cavs stay in the game after a dismal start.
TOP PLAY
Grant Williams for three!!! pic.twitter.com/i5HES4y4fa
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) December 10, 2019
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
The Celtics offense is going to be dangerous if Theis is hitting 3s again: All five Boston starters scored in double figures for this one while combining to shoot 35-of-56 (62.5 percent) from the field. While the return of Hayward was a big factor in helping the C’s get back to peak potency (along with an inept Cavs defense), don’t overlook Daniel Theis starting to emerge as a perimeter threat again. He’s made three 3s over the past two games after knocking down just two in the first 18 games of the year. A dislocated finger may have been a factor in the lackluster start but a shooting threat at the five has been something this group has lacked early. Theis showed nice potential in this department last year (39 percent from deep) and his ability to drag defenders out of the paint will help open up the floor even more for the rest of the dynamic scorers in this group.
Kevin Love will be traded sooner than later: The dynamic scorer is in a painful spot on this roster, teaming up with a pair of underwhelming young guards who shoot the ball too much. He took the hefty payday a couple of years back with the Cavs after LeBron James left but he’s clearly checked out with this team just 20 games in as a tough rebuild begins under John Beilein. The Cavs can’t expect much of a return given Love’s hefty salary (just under $30 million for the next two seasons) but they would be best served to act now to get some kind of return for him while he remains in his prime. The Blazers make the most sense (Hassan Whiteside is an expiring deal) as a trade partner but it’s clear that this marriage is not made to last.