Jayson Tatum's 33 points help Celtics down short-handed Cavaliers 109-102 to take 3-1 lead in semis
CLEVELAND (AP) Even when it's supposed to be somewhat easy, the Boston Celtics have a weird way of making things hard.
On Monday night, they nearly stumbled against an overmatched Cleveland team.
Jayson Tatum scored 33 points with LeBron James watching from a courtside seat and the Celtics beat the severely short-handed Cavaliers 109-102 in Game 4 to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Jaylen Brown added 27 for the Celtics, who can close out Cleveland with a win in Game 5 on Wednesday night at home.
“It took us a little while to get going, and stop ball watching and play some basketball,” Brown said.
Game 6, if necessary, would be back at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday.
The Cavs got pushed to the brink of elimination with two top players in street clothes on the bench, as Donovan Mitchell (calf) and Jarrett Allen (ribs) sat out with injuries. Their status going forward is uncertain.
It was nothing new for a Cleveland team that dealt with injuries all season, but it was a big ask for the Cavs to try and survive without Mitchell, their All-Star guard who has carried the offensive load throughout the postseason, or Allen, their leading rebounder.
Still, the Cavs gave the top-seeded Celtics, who have shown a tendency to relax at the wrong time, all they could handle.
“They laid it all out there,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said of his team. “They gave us everything that they had. They competed at a high level. They played the game properly. I’m proud of the guys, the way they went out and scrapped and competed and gave ourselves a chance.”
Tatum had his second straight strong performance, adding 11 rebounds and five assists. Jrue Holiday had 16 points for Boston, which improved to 4-0 away from home in the postseason.
“There's no better feeling than winning a playoff game on the road,” Tatum said. “Tough environment and the crowd was great. Now, it's time to go back to Boston and play well in front of our fans and give them something to cheer for.”
Darius Garland scored 30 and Evan Mobley and Caris LeVert 19 apiece for the Cavs, who stayed connected with the Celtics and only trailed by 10 going into the fourth.
Boston went up 15 on a jumper by Brown, but Cleveland responded with a 10-2 run as Garland and Dean Wade made 3-pointers.
The Cavs were still within 102-97 when Max Strus missed a 3-pointer that would have put immense pressure on the Celtics, but Brown buried a 3 - after colliding with official Tyler Ford - with 1:08 left to give Boston some breathing room.
Brown said Ford nearly cost the Celtics dearly by getting in his way.
“I thought he had an effect on the play,” Brown said. “You've got to be more aware. But the shot went in, so it's a non-story.”
The Cavs felt the discrepancy at the free-throw line - Boston attempted 24 free throws to Cleveland's seven -- was a major element.
"That's ridiculous,” Garland said. “It's tough to get just seven free throws. I know how many times I get hit and how many times my teammates get hit. It's tough.”
James, who played 11 seasons in two separate stints for Cleveland, was back in his former home arena - a visit certain to drive speculation about where he might play next.
The NBA's career scoring leader can opt out of his contract with the Los Angeles Lakers this summer, and James has said he's not made any firm decisions.
The 39-year-old sat across from Boston's bench in between his wife, Savannah, and agent Rich Paul. James got a monstrous ovation from Cleveland's crowd when he was shown on the scoreboard during a timeout in the first quarter.
Despite dealing with a left knee injury for months, Mitchell averaged 29.6 points in the first 10 playoff games - scoring 50 in a Game 6 loss to Orlando.
He injured his calf in the waning moments of Cleveland's loss in Game 3 on Saturday and was added to the injury report as questionable on Sunday. Mitchell underwent round-the-clock treatment but didn't have enough time to heal.
The five-time All-Star didn't comment following the game, nodding politely on his way out of the locker room.
Allen sat out the seventh straight game with a painful injury the center sustained in the opening round.
With Holiday scoring seven straight points, the Celtics went ahead by 13 in the second quarter and appeared ready to run away from the Cavs.
But Cleveland stormed back as Strus, who has struggled with his outside shot throughout the playoffs, made consecutive 3-pointers in a 13-3 run that helped the Cavs close within 62-57 at halftime.
Boston's center Kristaps Porzingis missed his fifth straight game, but the Celtics were encouraged he was able to do some on-court work.
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Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Al Horford vs. Evan Mobley (Darius Garland gains possession) | |||
11:45 | Evan Mobley turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | |||
11:28 | Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround jump shot | |||
11:25 | Darius Garland defensive rebound | |||
11:19 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 0-3 | |
11:01 | Jrue Holiday turnover (bad pass) (Max Strus steals) | |||
10:51 | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround jump shot | |||
10:49 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
10:41 | +2 | Al Horford makes two point driving layup (Jaylen Brown assists) | 2-3 | |
10:32 | Darius Garland turnover (bad pass) (Jrue Holiday steals) | |||
10:25 | Isaac Okoro shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | |||
10:25 | Jaylen Brown misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | |||
10:25 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
10:25 | Jaylen Brown misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | |||
10:22 | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | |||
10:14 | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point driving floating jump shot | 2-5 | |
10:03 | Jayson Tatum turnover (bad pass) (Caris LeVert steals) | |||
9:58 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 2-8 | |
9:58 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
9:48 | +3 | Jayson Tatum makes three point pullup jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 5-8 | |
9:25 | Max Strus turnover (bad pass) (Jayson Tatum steals) | |||
9:15 | Darius Garland personal foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | |||
9:01 | +3 | Jaylen Brown makes three point pullup jump shot | 8-8 | |
8:50 | Caris LeVert misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
8:47 | Isaac Okoro offensive rebound | |||
8:46 | Jayson Tatum blocks Isaac Okoro's two point putback layup | |||
8:46 | Derrick White defensive rebound | |||
8:31 | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | |||
8:26 | Caris LeVert defensive rebound | |||
8:24 | Isaac Okoro misses two point running layup | |||
8:21 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
8:15 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 10-8 | |
8:01 | Darius Garland misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
8:00 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
7:56 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point running dunk (Jrue Holiday assists) | 12-8 | |
7:56 | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | |||
7:34 | Caris LeVert misses two point driving layup | |||
7:31 | Al Horford defensive rebound | |||
7:25 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 14-8 | |
7:02 | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point pullup jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 14-10 | |
6:45 | Jayson Tatum turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
6:27 | Evan Mobley misses two point hook shot | |||
6:24 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
6:16 | Derrick White misses three point jump shot | |||
6:16 | Celtics offensive rebound | |||
6:15 | Evan Mobley shooting foul (Jaylen Brown draws the foul) | |||
6:15 | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 15-10 | |
6:15 | +1 | Jaylen Brown makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 16-10 | |
5:55 | Darius Garland misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
5:53 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
5:46 | Jaylen Brown misses two point fadeaway jump shot | |||
5:38 | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | |||
5:38 | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point tip dunk | 18-10 | |
5:37 | Derrick White personal foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | |||
5:36 | Caris LeVert turnover (bad pass) (Derrick White steals) | |||
5:31 | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point running jump shot (Jayson Tatum assists) | 21-10 | |
5:14 | +3 | Evan Mobley makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 21-13 | |
4:51 | Jaylen Brown misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
4:48 | Payton Pritchard offensive rebound | |||
4:42 | Jaylen Brown turnover (lost ball) (Darius Garland steals) | |||
4:35 | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point running layup | 21-15 | |
4:19 | Darius Garland shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | |||
4:19 | Max Strus technical foul | |||
4:19 | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 22-15 | |
4:19 | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-15 | |
4:19 | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 24-15 | |
4:08 | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 24-18 | |
3:56 | Payton Pritchard turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
3:38 | +3 | Sam Merrill makes three point jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 24-21 | |
3:15 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point driving finger roll layup | 26-21 | |
3:06 | Luke Kornet blocks Darius Garland's two point driving layup | |||
3:02 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
2:59 | +3 | Payton Pritchard makes three point running jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 29-21 | |
2:44 | +3 | Georges Niang makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 29-24 | |
2:27 | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
2:24 | Luke Kornet offensive rebound | |||
2:22 | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point putback layup | 31-24 | |
2:04 | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
2:01 | Jayson Tatum defensive rebound | |||
2:00 | Luke Kornet offensive foul (Dean Wade draws the foul) | |||
2:00 | Luke Kornet turnover (offensive foul) | |||
1:41 | Max Strus misses two point driving layup | |||
1:38 | Tristan Thompson offensive rebound | |||
1:37 | +2 | Tristan Thompson makes two point putback dunk | 31-26 | |
1:22 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 33-26 | |
1:10 | Sam Merrill misses three point jump shot | |||
1:10 | Celtics defensive rebound | |||
0:53 | Jayson Tatum misses two point driving dunk | |||
0:50 | Jayson Tatum offensive rebound | |||
0:50 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point putback layup | 35-26 | |
0:37 | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point pullup jump shot (Tristan Thompson assists) | 35-28 | |
0:15 | +2 | Al Horford makes two point turnaround hook shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 37-28 | |
0:06 | Payton Pritchard personal foul (Caris LeVert draws the foul) | |||
0:00 | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point driving floating jump shot | 37-30 | |
0:00 | End of period |
Time | Team | Play | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|
11:39 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point turnaround jump shot (Jrue Holiday assists) | 39-30 | |
11:21 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point jump shot (Sam Merrill assists) | 39-33 | |
11:02 | Sam Hauser misses three point jump shot | |||
11:00 | Jrue Holiday offensive rebound | |||
10:57 | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point putback layup | 41-33 | |
10:40 | Caris LeVert misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
10:37 | Jrue Holiday defensive rebound | |||
10:32 | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point running pullup jump shot | 44-33 | |
10:15 | Georges Niang misses two point turnaround jump shot | |||
10:10 | Sam Merrill offensive rebound | |||
10:06 | Caris LeVert misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
10:04 | Caris LeVert offensive rebound | |||
10:01 | Georges Niang misses three point jump shot | |||
9:58 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
9:48 | +2 | Jrue Holiday makes two point turnaround jump shot | 46-33 | |
9:29 | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point driving floating jump shot (Tristan Thompson assists) | 46-35 | |
9:17 | Jaylen Brown turnover (bad pass) (Caris LeVert steals) | |||
9:10 | +2 | Tristan Thompson makes two point running dunk (Sam Merrill assists) | 46-37 | |
8:45 | +2 | Jaylen Brown makes two point driving layup | 48-37 | |
8:44 | Jaylen Brown personal foul (Away from play) (Max Strus draws the foul) | |||
8:44 | +1 | Sam Merrill makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 48-38 | |
8:30 | Sam Merrill misses three point jump shot | |||
8:28 | Derrick White defensive rebound | |||
8:23 | Jrue Holiday misses two point hook shot | |||
8:22 | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | |||
8:21 | Evan Mobley turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | |||
8:13 | Luke Kornet turnover (bad pass) (Evan Mobley steals) | |||
8:07 | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point running pullup jump shot (Max Strus assists) | 48-40 | |
7:44 | Derrick White misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
7:41 | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | |||
7:37 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running jump shot (Isaac Okoro assists) | 48-43 | |
7:36 | Celtics 60 second timeout | |||
7:17 | Dean Wade blocks Jayson Tatum's two point cutting layup | |||
7:14 | Darius Garland defensive rebound | |||
7:11 | +3 | Max Strus makes three point running jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 48-46 | |
6:57 | +3 | Jrue Holiday makes three point stepback jump shot (Derrick White assists) | 51-46 | |
6:31 | Darius Garland misses two point driving floating jump shot | |||
6:29 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
6:23 | Jaylen Brown offensive foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | |||
6:23 | Jaylen Brown turnover (offensive foul) | |||
6:03 | Isaac Okoro misses three point jump shot | |||
5:59 | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | |||
5:58 | Evan Mobley misses two point hook shot | |||
5:58 | Cavaliers offensive rebound | |||
5:45 | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point turnaround jump shot | 51-48 | |
5:26 | Jayson Tatum misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
5:23 | Max Strus defensive rebound | |||
5:12 | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point hook shot (Darius Garland assists) | 51-50 | |
4:56 | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point alley-oop dunk (Jayson Tatum assists) | 53-50 | |
4:38 | Darius Garland misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
4:36 | Luke Kornet defensive rebound | |||
4:22 | Jrue Holiday misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
4:19 | Isaac Okoro defensive rebound | |||
4:05 | Darius Garland turnover (lost ball) (Jrue Holiday steals) | |||
3:46 | +2 | Luke Kornet makes two point layup (Jayson Tatum assists) | 55-50 | |
3:46 | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | |||
3:22 | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point jump shot (Caris LeVert assists) | 55-53 | |
3:05 | Payton Pritchard misses three point jump shot | |||
3:02 | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | |||
2:48 | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | |||
2:46 | Jaylen Brown defensive rebound | |||
2:35 | Jaylen Brown misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | |||
2:33 | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | |||
2:26 | Darius Garland misses three point pullup jump shot | |||
2:26 | Isaac Okoro offensive rebound | |||
2:26 | Jayson Tatum kicked ball violation | |||
2:12 | Max Strus misses three point stepback jump shot | |||
2:10 | Derrick White defensive rebound | |||
2:04 | Isaac Okoro shooting foul (Jayson Tatum draws the foul) | |||
2:04 | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 56-53 | |
2:04 | +1 | Jayson Tatum makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 57-53 | |
1:48 | +3 | Darius Garland makes three point pullup jump shot | 57-56 | |
1:22 | Jayson Tatum misses three point jump shot | |||
1:19 | Al Horford offensive rebound | |||
1:10 | Jaylen Brown turnover (out of bounds step) | |||
0:57 | Jrue Holiday blocks Isaac Okoro's two point cutting layup | |||
0:54 | Al Horford defensive rebound | |||
0:53 | +2 | Jayson Tatum makes two point running layup | 59-56 | |
0:52 | Jayson Tatum technical foul | |||
0:52 |