Jayson Tatum scored 32-plus 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.
PG: Marcus Smart
SG: Brad Wanamaker
SF: Jayson Tatum
PF: Grant Williams
C: Daniel Theis
- The Celtics had three starters not make the trip as Kemba Walker (knee rehab), Gordon Hayward (bruised knee) and Jaylen Brown (hamstring) all sidelined. Walker and Hayward are day-to-day but Brown has a Grade 1 hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in a week.
- The Celtics starting five on the night has played just eight minutes together on the season.
- The Cavs will be down their top two centers in Andre Drummond and Tristan Thompson due to injury, along with wings Dante Exum and Darrius Garland.
- Cleveland has lost three straight games overall.