Three Key Storylines
- Jaylen Brown leads the way
- Living by the 3
- Free throws make the difference
The Boston Celtics overcame a slow start vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers to remain undefeated at TD Garden this season.
Tuesday night's matchup marked the Celtics' first game since Friday and just their fourth this month. The Cavs, meanwhile, played the second night of a back-to-back and their fourth game in the last week.
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Despite that, Cleveland looked like the more energized team out of the gate. The C's couldn't make shots throughout the first quarter (1-10 3-PT) and trailed by as many as 15 points. They woke up toward the end of the frame and chipped away at the deficit in the second quarter, cutting it down to one at the half.
It was a tightly contested second half, but Boston pulled away late to earn a 120-113 victory and improve to 11-0 at home. They are the only NBA team that has yet to lose on its home court this season. Their 18 consecutive regular-season home wins dating back to last year mark their longest such streak since 1990-91.
All five C's starters scored in double figures with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown dropping 25 points apiece. Donovan Mitchell (29 points) and Darius Garland (26 points) paced the Cavs in the scoring column.
The Celtics' (17-5) homestand continues with a rematch vs. the Cavs (13-11) on Thursday night. First, here are three quick takeaways from Tuesday's game.
Jaylen Brown leads the way
Brown was the only Celtic to not look sluggish to start this game. He scored 10 of Boston's first 12 points while his teammates started 0-for-11 from the floor through the first nine minutes.
He ended up with 16 first-half points, though an apparent leg injury he suffered on a dunk attempt late in the second quarter gave C's fans a scare. The two-time All-Star immediately exited to the locker room.
Fortunately, Brown returned to the court to start the second half and looked like himself. He scored Boston's first five points in the third quarter and finished with 25 on 10-of-17 shooting altogether.
Brown continues to shoot efficiently in December. He also dished four assists to go with two rebounds, a block, and a steal in the win.
Living by the 3
For most of the first quarter, there seemed to be an invisible lid on the rim when the Celtics attempted 3-point shots. They started 0-for-9 from deep and didn't see one go through the net until Payton Pritchard hit their first 3 with just over a minute to go in the frame.
They finally found their groove in the second quarter with none other than Derrick White setting the tone. White drilled three consecutive 3-pointers to help Boston chip away at Cleveland's lead.
From there, the C's stayed hot and made 18 of their next 35 shots from beyond the arc (51.4 percent). They finished 18-of-44 (40.9 percent) from 3 with White (5-8 3-PT), Jrue Holiday (3-5), and Sam Hauser (3-4) each coming up big in that department.
The Celtics are now 15-0 this season when shooting at least 33.3 percent from 3-point range. They are 2-5 when shooting below that mark.
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Free throws make the difference
The Celtics' free-throw struggles have come back to bite them at points this season, but their performance at the line was the reason they escaped with a victory on Tuesday night.
When the shots weren't falling, they relied on free throws to keep them in the game. They hit all 17 of their shots from the charity stripe in the first half. The Cavs had only two free-throw attempts through the first two frames.
That trend continued in the second half. Boston ended up a perfect 26-for-26 from the line with Cleveland just 6-for-9. Tatum and Kristaps Porzingis did most of the damage, both going 9-for-9.
While it wasn't the most exciting way to win a game, the Celtics' free-throw shooting was the difference on a night when the offense wasn't as explosive as it's been all season.