Tatum, Brown lead Celtics past Cavaliers 120-113 to remain unbeaten in Boston
BOSTON (AP) Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Jaylen Brown also scored 25 and the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 120-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick White added 17 points and Boston held Cleveland scoreless for a stretch of 2 minutes, 40 seconds in the fourth quarter while finally putting away the Cavaliers, who had played on the road the night before.
Cleveland came out strong and dominated the first quarter. Boston wasn't able to pull away until the final minutes.
“This was a good win, especially with the way we started the game. It could have went south early,” Tatum said. “But we stuck with it and we were just thankful to only be down 10 in that first quarter.”
Donovan Mitchell had 29 points and Darius Garland scored 26 for the Cavaliers, who couldn't overcome the cold stretch in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was also outrebounded 45-35 in the opener of a two-game series and was outscored 26-6 at the foul line.
The teams play again Thursday in Boston.
Max Strus added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Cavs, who set a season high with 19 3-pointers. Cleveland was coming off a 104-94 loss at Orlando on Monday night, when the Cavs scored just 15 points in the third quarter. Cleveland started strong Tuesday, opening the game with an 18-4 run, but could not maintain the pace.
“They came out very aggressive and we came out a little bit not as aggressive. They punched first,” said Porzingis, who scored 19 in the second half. “By halftime we were close, but then second half I felt we really turned it on.”
Porzingis broke a 106-all tie when he earned back-to-back trips to the line midway through the fourth quarter and made all four free throws, then Tatum stepped back for a 3-pointer that put Boston up 113-106 with 4:26 remaining.
The Cavs hadn’t scored since an 18-foot jumper by Mitchell with 6:05 left in the fourth tied it at 106. But Cleveland didn’t score again until Jarrett Allen’s layup with 3:25 left pulled Cleveland within 113-108.
“I think they were more organized offensively. They kind of knew what they wanted to get and they got to it and they made shots,” Cavs swingman Caris LeVert said. “On the other end, we kind of were a little disorganized, didn’t necessarily get the ball where we wanted to every single time and they took advantage.”
Brown opened the second half with a layup, then hit a quick 3-pointer that put Boston up 64-61. Three straight 3-pointers by Mitchell put Cleveland right back in front and the Cavs continued to lead through much of the third quarter.
Boston went back up when Tatum hit a 3-pointer for an 86-84 lead and Boston was up 94-92 entering the fourth quarter, but couldn’t pull away by much.
Mitchell was called for a technical after complaining about an on out-of-bounds call with 2:18 left in the second quarter. Tatum’s free throw tied it at 57-all, then a layup by Brown put Boston up 59-57 for the Celtics’ first lead of the game.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Jarrett Allen vs. Kristaps Porzingis (Darius Garland gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 |  | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Jarrett Allen assists) | 3-0 |
| 11:33 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 3-2 |
| 11:23 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:21 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 11:12 | | Kristaps Porzingis turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 11:08 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point running dunk | 5-2 |
| 10:47 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 10:45 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:32 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 10:20 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:19 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 10:12 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 7-2 |
| 10:00 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point layup | 7-4 |
| 9:53 | | Kristaps Porzingis blocks Max Strus's two point driving layup | ||
| 9:52 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 9:50 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point cutting layup (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 9-4 |
| 9:40 | | Donovan Mitchell personal foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 9:37 | | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:35 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 9:28 | | Jaylen Brown blocks Jarrett Allen's two point layup | ||
| 9:27 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 9:23 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point layup (Jarrett Allen assists) | 11-4 |
| 9:22 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:14 | | Kristaps Porzingis turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 9:03 | | Derrick White blocks Jarrett Allen's two point layup | ||
| 9:02 | | Derrick White defensive rebound | ||
| 8:59 | | Derrick White misses two point running layup | ||
| 8:58 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 8:51 | | +3 | Dean Wade makes three point running jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 14-4 |
| 8:41 | | Jayson Tatum misses two point jump shot | ||
| 8:39 | | Dean Wade defensive rebound | ||
| 8:28 | | Darius Garland misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:27 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 8:23 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:21 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 8:10 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point cutting dunk | ||
| 8:08 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 8:03 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point running jump shot | ||
| 8:02 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 7:54 | | Jayson Tatum shooting foul (Donovan Mitchell draws the foul) | ||
| 7:54 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-4 |
| 7:54 | | +1 | Donovan Mitchell makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-4 |
| 7:39 | | Kristaps Porzingis turnover (bad pass) (Jarrett Allen steals) | ||
| 7:34 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point running layup (Darius Garland assists) | 18-4 |
| 7:19 | | Jrue Holiday misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:18 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 7:04 | | Derrick White blocks Donovan Mitchell's three point jump shot | ||
| 7:02 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 18-6 |
| 6:33 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point driving dunk (Max Strus assists) | 20-6 |
| 6:26 | | Max Strus shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 6:26 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 20-7 |
| 6:26 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-8 |
| 6:10 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point cutting dunk (Jarrett Allen assists) | 22-8 |
| 5:49 | | Dean Wade shooting foul (Kristaps Porzingis draws the foul) | ||
| 5:49 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 22-9 |
| 5:49 | | +1 | Kristaps Porzingis makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 22-10 |
| 5:34 | | Caris LeVert turnover (bad pass) (Kristaps Porzingis steals) | ||
| 5:26 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:25 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 5:15 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point pullup jump shot | 25-10 |
| 5:03 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:01 | | Isaac Okoro defensive rebound | ||
| 4:57 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:55 | | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | ||
| 4:36 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:34 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 4:26 | | Caris LeVert misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 4:24 | | Kristaps Porzingis defensive rebound | ||
| 4:10 | | Jaylen Brown misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 4:09 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 4:03 | | Isaac Okoro turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 3:46 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup (Derrick White assists) | 25-12 |
| 3:32 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point pullup jump shot | 27-12 |
| 3:19 | | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:17 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 3:12 | | Donovan Mitchell turnover (bad pass) (Payton Pritchard steals) | ||
| 3:10 | | Payton Pritchard turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:00 | | Darius Garland misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:59 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 2:50 | | Al Horford misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:48 | | Isaac Okoro defensive rebound | ||
| 2:38 | | Darius Garland misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:36 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 2:23 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup | 27-14 |
| 2:05 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point driving layup | 29-14 |
| 1:45 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 29-17 |
| 1:23 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving finger roll layup | 31-17 |
| 1:11 | | +2 | Al Horford makes two point jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 31-19 |
| 0:47 | | Caris LeVert misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 0:46 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:46 | | Sam Hauser personal foul (Loose ball) (Tristan Thompson draws the foul) | ||
| 0:46 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 0:36 | | Darius Garland misses two point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:34 | | Payton Pritchard defensive rebound | ||
| 0:20 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving layup (Payton Pritchard assists) | 31-21 |
| 0:01 | | Isaac Okoro misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:38 | | Isaac Okoro shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 11:38 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 31-22 |
| 11:38 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 31-23 |
| 11:25 | | +3 | Georges Niang makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 34-23 |
| 11:03 | | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 34-26 |
| 10:54 | | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Max Strus draws the foul) | ||
| 10:47 | | +3 | Isaac Okoro makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 37-26 |
| 10:24 | | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point jump shot (Al Horford assists) | 37-29 |
| 10:04 | | Darius Garland turnover (lost ball) (Al Horford steals) | ||
| 9:56 | | Max Strus shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 9:56 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 37-30 |
| 9:56 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 37-31 |
| 9:45 | | Darius Garland misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:44 | | Sam Hauser defensive rebound | ||
| 9:34 | | Jrue Holiday turnover (bad pass) (Isaac Okoro steals) | ||
| 9:31 | | Payton Pritchard blocks Isaac Okoro's two point running layup | ||
| 9:30 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 9:24 | | Max Strus misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:22 | | Tristan Thompson offensive rebound | ||
| 9:16 | | Georges Niang turnover (bad pass) (Payton Pritchard steals) | ||
| 9:13 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point running dunk (Payton Pritchard assists) | 37-33 |
| 9:13 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 9:01 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving layup | 39-33 |
| 8:47 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 8:45 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 8:33 | | Darius Garland misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 8:32 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 8:26 | | Donovan Mitchell turnover (lost ball) (Jrue Holiday steals) | ||
| 8:22 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Sam Hauser's two point running layup | ||
| 8:21 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 8:08 | | Jayson Tatum blocks Donovan Mitchell's two point driving layup | ||
| 8:07 | | Celtics defensive rebound | ||
| 7:52 | | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 7:51 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 7:51 | | Luke Kornet misses two point tip layup | ||
| 7:47 | | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | ||
| 7:46 | | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point putback layup | 39-35 |
| 7:30 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Georges Niang assists) | 42-35 |
| 7:13 | | Jaylen Brown turnover (bad pass) (Jarrett Allen steals) | ||
| 7:03 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point jump shot | 44-35 |
| 6:47 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 44-38 |
| 6:31 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point hook shot (Darius Garland assists) | 46-38 |
| 6:11 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 46-41 |
| 5:50 | | Max Strus turnover (lost ball) (Jrue Holiday steals) | ||
| 5:44 | | +3 | Derrick White makes three point running jump shot (Jaylen Brown assists) | 46-44 |
| 5:25 | | +3 | Donovan Mitchell makes three point pullup jump shot | 49-44 |
| 5:23 | | Celtics 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:14 | | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point cutting dunk (Kristaps Porzingis assists) | 49-46 |
| 4:53 | | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 52-46 |
| 4:41 | | Jaylen Brown misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:40 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 4:38 | | Jarrett Allen turnover (lost ball) (Derrick White steals) | ||
| 4:35 | | Dean Wade shooting foul (Derrick White draws the foul) | ||
| 4:35 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 52-47 |
| 4:35 | | +1 | Derrick White makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 52-48 |
| 4:18 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:17 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 4:11 | | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point running layup | 52-50 |
| 3:58 | | Dean Wade misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:57 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 3:52 | | Donovan Mitchell shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | ||
| 3:52 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 52-51 |
| 3:52 | | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 52-52 |
| 3:34 | | +3 | Dean Wade makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 55-52 |
| 3:21 | | Jayson Tatum turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:11 | | Dean Wade misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:09 | | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | ||
| 3:03 | | Caris LeVert personal foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | ||
| 3:03 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 55-53 |
| 3:03 | | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 55-54 |
| 2:52 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point hook shot (Darius Garland assists) | 57-54 |
| 2:34 | | Kristaps Porzingis misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:33 | | Celtics offensive rebound | ||
| 2:33 | |