Everything you need to know about the Celtics' 112-106 win over the Cavs with BSJ insight and analysis
Box Score
HEADLINES
Celtics fight their way to shorthanded road victory: Jayson Tatum scored 32 points in his fifth straight game and Semi Ojeleye added a career-high 22 points to help lift the shorthanded Celtics to a 112-106 victory over a reeling Cavs squad. The visitors were without three starters on the second half of the back-to-back but the C’s got an All-Star level performance from Tatum (32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals) and some critical help from Ojeleye who knocked down a career-high five 3s while playing 30 minutes.
Marcus Smart added 18 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter to shake off a poor shooting night as the C’s overcame a career-high 41 points from Colin Sexton to snap the C’s two-game winning streak.
The road gets much tougher back in Boston on Friday night as the Jazz come to town looking for revenge after losing at home to the Celtics last week.
Jaylen Brown out for at least a week: Kemba Walker (knee rehab) and Gordon Hayward (sore knee) could be back in the lineup as soon as Friday’s game against the Jazz but the wait for Jaylen Brown will be longer after the shooting guard was diagnosed with Grade 1 hamstring strain suffered late in the loss to the Nets. Brown is set to miss one week before being re-evaluated by team doctors, which will keep him on the sidelines for tough contests against the Jazz, Thunder, Pacers and Bucks over the next seven days. Brown suffered the same injury during the 2018 postseason, missing one game with the injury but the C’s will clearly be more cautious with this in the regular season so he doesn’t re-aggravate it at any point. At this point, the Celtics getting a full look at a healthy roster will likely have to wait at least another two weeks, with added opportunity for the rookies and Brad Wanamaker in the meantime.
TURNING POINT
The Celtics broke open a one-point game at the three-minute mark of the fourth quarter with a 7-0 run behind scoring from Smart and Tatum. That gave Boston enough of a cushion down the stretch to hold onto the six-point win after making some free throws.
INJURY REPORT
Romeo Langford did not play in the second half due to illness.
TWO UP
Ojeleye: It’s rare to see a player have a career night while still missing some time due to injury but the third-year forward could have been pushing 30 points in this one if he avoided a shot to the groin in the first half. The timing for his shooting breakout couldn’t have been better for Boston as he finished with a career-high 23 points along with five made 3s on a night no one else besides Tatum had it going from downtown.
Robert Williams: The big man was far more settled in his second game back from injury, particularly on the defensive end in the second half. He chipped in with 6 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks while sporting a team-high +16 in his 14 minutes off the bench.
TWO DOWN
Marcus Smart In the first three quarters: He turned things around with a terrific fourth quarter but he was absolutely brutal in the first three periods, going just 2-of-12 from the field on a night when the C’s needed him to be a second scoring option.
Defensive rebounding: The Cavs are good at this but surrounding 17 offensive boards is too much for the C’s defense to sustain. That’s three straight games of subpar rebounding for the shorthanded C’s who are getting sloppy with boxouts and rushing to loose balls. They are going to need to clean that up against a tougher slate of opponents coming up.
TOP PLAY
Playing hard on both ends in tonight's @jetblue play of the game ? pic.twitter.com/ss89XpIMHT
— Boston Celtics (@celtics) March 5, 2020
TWO TAKES B-ROBB WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER
Jayson Tatum is a quick study when it comes to handling double teams: As the only above-average shot creator healthy on the Celtics roster Wednesday night, the Cavs centered their entire gameplan about slowing down the third-year forward and throwing double teams at him all over the floor. Tatum did well to attack when he hand chances particularly beyond the arc against switches but the more encouraging thing to see was his ability to pass out of trouble. After looking a beat slow with the pass against Laker double teams, Tatum is finding the open man in the middle and getting it to him and other shooters quickly to take advantage of the extra attention. He finished with six assists on the night, just one shy of his career-high, an encouraging sign of growth for him as he continues to see defenses focus in on him more and more.
Tremont Waters needs to be in uniform until further notice whenever starters are sidelined: The two-way point guard was not in uniform Tuesday night as the C’s saw a 17-point fourth-quarter lead dissipate without any true creators to turn to for the overtime period. Carsen Edwards made a couple of 3s early in that one but he still is a subpar shooter and defender in the NBA and a very limited passer. Waters got the nod off the bench in this one with the starting backcourt sidelined and while he wasn’t perfect, his defense and point guard skills are far ahead of Edwards right now (DNP-CD). There isn’t much time left in the G-League season and Waters should have plenty of two-days left so the Celtics need to start having him in uniform for any situation where they might be shorthanded. He’s just the better NBA player than Edwards right now and the Celtics should treat him as such.