BSJ Game Report: Cavaliers 132, Celtics 123 (OT) - Mitchell, LeVert torch Boston with combined 82 points

Everything you need to know about the Celtics' loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL 

The Celtics started slow but then came roaring back late in the first quarter. The bench led the charge and the Celtics eventually built a 17-point lead, but they missed their chances to put the Cavs away. Cleveland came back to tie the game in the third, and then again after Boston whipped off a 7-0 fourth-quarter run. They dominated the overtime to leave Boston with the win.

HEADLINES

Size matters: The Celtics were bothered by Cleveland’s size, especially early on. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley deterred a lot in the first quarter and bothered a lot the whole game. They combined for 21 rebounds and they got 3 offensive rebounds apiece. 

Same old problems: The Celtics got burned by bad defense and offensive rebounds. Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert scored 41 points each (2 of Mitchell's points ended Luke Kornet), which is just outrageous. The Cavs got 14 second-chance points off 9 offensive rebounds, with the killer being his offensive rebound late in the fourth quarter that he turned into a corner 3-pointer. 

Lack of execution: Jayson Tatum had 30 points heading into the fourth quarter and finished the game with 32. He was 1-5 with a turnover over the fourth quarter and OT. But that wasn’t all. The Celtics had plenty of chances that would have changed the game, like a Smart turnover trying to get the ball up to Jaylen Brown that would have cut the OT lead to 1. 

“If we close out and rebound, we put ourselves in a good position,” Joe Mazzulla said after the loss. “We have to know personnel. But at the same time, we have to learn how to win, again. Each season, coming into it, you're not guaranteed to win. So, it's valuing the ball. And it's knowing tendencies and boxing out and rebounding. Just the fundamentals. You just have to relearn and constantly do them."

TURNING POINT

With the Celtics up 112-108 with 2:25 to go, LeVert rebounded Mitchell’s missed jumper, which turned into a Mitchell layup. After a missed Smart 3-pointer, LeVert did it again, rebounding a Mitchell miss, and then taking the 3 himself to give the Cavs a lead. The game eventually went into overtime, but the Celtics should have gotten two stops with the lead and they couldn't clean it up the misses.

THREE UP 

Jayson Tatum: He had 32 points but he could have been the game’s high-scorer. The Cavs did everything in their power to take the ball out of his hands. Prior to that, he was awesome again, finishing with 58/43/87.5 shooting splits along with 7 rebounds and 4 assists. We’ll forget the details of this game in March when we’re tallying up all of Tatum’s efficient monster nights. It was a good performance but not a great one because of that final stretch.

Jaylen Brown: He carried the Celtics and nearly matched Tatum stat for stat putting up 32, 8, and 4 on 50% shooting. The downside for Brown is the 8-12 from the line. Each of those misses looms in an OT loss, but he was aggressive and able to keep the Celtics close when the Cavs focus turned to Tatum.

Al Horford: He was a big reason the Celtics were able to climb back into the game in the first half. He hit some big 3-pointers and if the Celtics still had a challenge, he might have had a game-saving blocked shot. 

ONE DOWN

Marcus Smart: He bailed the Celtics out with great plays at the end of the first and third quarters, and he did have 7 assists. But also shot 3-15 and was a -26. 

TOP PLAYS

JAYLEN BROWN PUNCHED ON DONOVAN MITCHELL! pic.twitter.com/nxZCDgUUvu

— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) October 29, 2022

TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Luke Kornet was fine, and deserves more of a look

I said the other day that I swore I wasn’t dying on the Kornet hill. I still swear I’m not, but it’s getting harder for me to make my case. 

He got the call against the bigger Cavaliers, and he was okay in some spots, not okay in others. He also had one of the most hilarious plays I’ve seen on court where he jumped in the paint to … I dunno … obscure the rim? … on a Cavs corner 3-pointer. 

I think he got a little more comfortable as the game went on, which makes me think he can figure out some of his issues if he plays a little more consistently. 

Of course, the issue the Celtics have is that certain matchups are just going to be better for Noah Vonleh or Blake Griffin, so he’ll still have to platoon. I’ll just reiterate my point that a little more consistent playing time will help smooth out some of his rough edges. 

- Grant Williams cost his team

I walked past a few staffers in the back of the arena looking at video after the game and one of them said “Grant would have stopped that.”

I couldn't tell which play they were talking about, but it doesn’t really matter. What mattered is Williams lost his cool in Chicago and he missed a game where he could have helped his team win. 

Would they have won with Williams? I don’t know. But he’s a much better player that some of the guys Mazzulla was forced to use and so it’s easy to think Williams could have changed this result. 

He should feel this loss as much as his teammates did. Hell, maybe more. If he could have kept his head, he could have been on the floor in this game. His team really needed him and he wasn’t there.