BSJ Game Report: Celtics 120, Cavs 117 - Tatum drops 33, C's withstand Cavs run

Everything you need to know about the Celtics win over the Cavs, with BSJ insight and analysis

IN A NUTSHELL

The Celtics came out firing from 3, going 5-11 in the first while the Cavs hit no 3-pointers but lived in the paint. The C’s took a six-point lead into the second, but that grew to 17 at the half because they were 9-11 from 3 in the quarter. It got up to 21 but the Celtics let up and gave up a 30-14 run to close the third, leaving them up five going into the fourth. It was a back-and-forth quarter with Al Horford making some monster defensive plays and Jaylen Brown closing the door in the end. 

Box Score

HEADLINES

- Streak ended: The Cavs have finally lost a game, but we saw why their streak reached 15 in the first place. They never quit and they can get hot in a hurry. More importantly, the Celtics bank a win for a potential tiebreaker situation with the Cavs down the road. Considering how well Cleveland is playing, that might be important.

- Big night from the Jays: Jayson Tatum shot 50% overall, and 60% from 3, on his way to 33 points, 12 rebounds, and seven assists. Brown didn’t have his best offensive night until the fourth quarter, but his defense on Donovan Mitchell made it tough for the Cavs star to get going. Brown was +17 on the night. 

- Al Horford turns back the clock: His fourth-quarter defense was incredible, coming up with two blocked shots, and he also hit a big 3-pointer. 

"He's just an innate competitor," Joe Mazzulla said. "I don't think people realize that sometimes, because of how quiet a guy is, but he's an innate competitor, and he has an ability to inspire people around him, and he did that – maybe it was Game 5 here last year against them. So there's moments of the season that he's a great leader, but sometimes his actions are so loud, and his competitiveness is so loud. And I think tonight was one of those nights."

TURNING POINT

Horford blocked two shots after the Cavs cut it to five, sandwiched around a Derrick White 3-pointer. There was still a lot of basketball to be played, but those two stops made it so Cleveland didn’t score for a minute-and-a-half in the clutch. 

THINGS I LIKED

-The first half: They took full advantage of the Cavs' defense, firing away from 3 like we expected and making almost 64% of them. Boston had a 17-point advantage because they were +30 from the 3-point line while holding the Cavs to only five second-chance points. The Cavs did score a ton in the paint, but they were trading 2-point shots for Boston’s 3-pointers. 

- The defense (mostly): They had a rough stretch in the third quarter, which I’ll get to, but the defense was much better for most of this game. The points in the paint are still a problem, but the Celtics limited second chances better than they have in a while. They also neutralized Darius Garland, who has been having a tremendous start and has been a big reason Cleveland won 15 in a row. 

- Al Horford: 20 points on 7-11 shooting and a team-best +18. He has taken his 3-point shooting to another level, not only going 4-5 on the night but getting those shots off quickly and being aggressive with his shot. 

- Jayson Tatum: The rebounding stands out more than anything. The Celtics needed everyone to do their bit to clear the boards and Tatum went in there for some big boy rebounds. 

- Jaylen Brown: He was having a tough night offensively until his seven-point fourth where he went 3-5 from the field. He was 4-12 prior to that, but he did lead the team with eight assists and his defense was really good. Overall, this was a pretty good game, which isn’t often said when Brown goes 41% from the field. 

- Derrick White: You know why. 

It feels like the Celtics are moving a little more toward him handling the ball in late-game situations. I think a little shift of more White on the ball and more Tatum off it in fourth quarters is a good wrinkle to keep defenses on their toes. 

White finished the night with 19 points, six rebounds, and five assists. 

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE

- Leaving Neemias Queta in: He was relentlessly targeted and destroyed by switching onto Cavs guards. I don’t understand why Mazzulla left him in there to take that kind of beating. The only thought I could come up with was it gave him a lot of experience … and it gave the team a lot of game film … to learn from and lean on down the road. 

“I thought some of the shots that they hit were tough, some of the stuff that we gave up, he's got to work on,” Mazzulla said. “But if we're going to believe in our guys and get them to a level where we need to get to, those are the things that you have to go through. So you've just got to continue to get better and better. But some of the stuff – one of the Mitchell pull-up twos was tough. Some of the stuff we got to get better at, but if you’re going to believe in your guys, you’ve got to do it at critical moments as well.”

- The third quarter: I’m sure everyone felt it when I felt it. Tatum hit a 3 to put them up 21 and then it felt like the energy downshifted a little. Mazzulla definitely felt it because the Cavs hit two buckets and he called a timeout when the lead went from 21 to 16. The Cavs are too good to give them opportunities like this. It almost cost them. 

- The bench battle: Payton Pritchard scored 13, but he was -14, Sam Hauser was -13, and Queta was -15. They were outplayed, as a whole, by Ty Jerome, Georges Niang, and Craig Porter, Jr.

HIGHLIGHTS

TWO TAKES KARALIS WILL PROBABLY REGRET LATER

- Still not buying the Celtics' interest in the NBA Cup.

A few guys mentioned how important it is, but I’m still not buying it. I don’t want to be disrespectful to the Cavs and say their run was only the product of Boston messing around. But also, the Celtics clearly took their foot off the gas a little and Mazzulla was clearly trying something with Queta in that moment. 

Again, if they truly cared, they would have taken advantage and piled up more of a point differential now. Maybe they’ll do it Friday in Washington, but I’m still not seeing the urgency on the floor to play by the Cup rules. 

Which, by the way, I’m fine with. I don’t care to see them overexert themselves for this thing. It’s fine if they don’t want it. 

But just to be clear, I think it’s obvious they don’t care. 

- This was a great example of how far Jaylen Brown has come. 

I don’t want to make a big thing of this because it’s not exactly a new storyline anymore, but I remember a day when Brown shooting 41% overall and 28.6% from 3 would have been disastrous because he would have let it bleed into his defense. 

It’s nice to be reminded every now and again that Brown isn’t that guy anymore. He had a huge positive impact on the game on a poor shooting night. It is, in a way, more impressive that him just having a big night all around, because it’s a test of his mental toughness. 

Next up: The Celtics travel to Washington to face the Wizards on Friday night