Final: Celtics 120, Cavs 117 - Celtics blow 21 point lead but hold on to break Cavs streak

BOSTON CELTICS (11-3) vs CLEVELAND CAVALIERS (15-0)

TD Garden, 7 p.m. - TNT, NBCS Boston

Line: Boston -5.5

INJURIES

Boston: Kristaps Porzingis (OUT, ankle)

Cleveland: Max Strus (OUT, ankle), Dean Wade (OUT, ankle), Caris LeVert (QUESTIONABLE OUT, knee), Sam Merrill (AVAILABLE ankle), Isaac Okoro (QUESTIONABLE OUT, ankle)

This is an Emirates NBA Cup Game. It's also an NBA Belt game.

THINGS I’M LOOKING FOR

1. 3-point shooting: The Cavs are the best 3-point shooting team in the league, but they don’t put up nearly the volume Boston does, so the Celtics score more from deep. Opponents have been shooting 3-pointers well against the Cavs, and Cleveland allows the fifth-highest above the break 3-point percentage … which is where Boston loves to shoot them. 

The Celtics have a chance to put up a lot of shots and points from 3. This could be another 60 3-point attempt night.

2. Points in the paint: The Cavs, Evan Mobley in particular, love to score in the paint. The Celtics have obviously been hemorrhaging points in the paint and at the rim in particular. This game might come down to which team shores up their defensive weakness better than the other. 

Or maybe Boston goes with the playoff plan of living with Mobley going off so long as it takes shots away from Donovan Mitchell and Darious Garland. We might have a Mobley 40-point night in a Boston win.  

3. Bench minutes: Kenny Atkinson has been holding his stars minutes down a bit and going deeper into his bench. He might have no choice but to play his stars more depending on how these questionable guys pan out after warmups, but this could be a night where Mitchell and Garland get some extra time regardless. 

The real question here is how Cleveland’s legs are. They still haven't had back-to-back days off this season. They might be running on fumes here. 

Follow along with my thoughts as the game goes on. They’ll show up below and in the comments section, so hop in and share your opinion as well.