Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Cavaliers: Boston Pays for Second-Chance Points Surrendered and Grant Williams' Missed FTs
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The Celtics showed a lot of heart Monday night. Despite being down three starters, including their best player, on the heels of a double-overtime defeat in Boston, the visitors came to Cleveland and led most of the game.
Their defense for much of the night was excellent, and they did a superlative job of blocking out the fatigue. But in the fourth quarter, the Cavaliers repeatedly won the race to 50/50 balls, and a lack of boxing out led to the hosts converting eight offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points.
That got Cleveland back into the game. It nearly didn't matter, but in a moment that's tough to stomach for Grant Williams, who's had his share of struggles in a contract year, he went to the free-throw line with the score tied at 109 and 0.8 seconds left.
But with shots off the mark, an already exhausted team had to go to overtime for the second-straight game. That's where fatigue caught up with them.
Jaylen Brown was outstanding in the loss, registering 32 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists, all tops on the team. And Malcolm Brogdon contributed 24 points, five assists, and four rebounds.
But not maintaining an up-tempo approach again resulted in Boston losing its grip on a double-digit advantage.
That helped Donovan Mitchell get downhill in transition. The star guard finished with a game-high 40 points, pairing it with 11 rebounds and four assists.
Evan Mobley produced 25 points, 16 rebounds, and three blocks. And Darius Garland scored 17, dished out 12 assists, and grabbed five rebounds.
Now, a deep dive into what stood out in each quarter of the Celtics' 118-114 overtime loss to Cleveland.
No Signs of Fatigue from the Shorthanded Celtics in the First Quarter
Down Jayson Tatum, Robert Williams, and Al Horford, the Celtics went with a starting lineup featuring Marcus Smart, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Mike Muscala, and Blake Griffin.
Jaylen Brown was aggressive throughout the opening frame, attacking the basket in transition and off makes. He put eight points on the board, six of which came at the cylinder, and another drive resulted in free throws that helped add to his scoring.
Tatum's becoming more impactful as a screener this season has deservedly earned praise. It makes Boston's offense more dynamic, adding a welcome element that will make the Celtics harder to stop when the pace of play slows down in the playoffs.
Monday, in the first quarter, the visitors put Brown in that role on a play where he screened for Smart, gathered a pass on a short roll, and quickly found Malcolm Brogdon for an open three.
It's worth continuing to get Brown reps in that role.
As for Brogdon, back from a two-game absence due to right ankle soreness, he matched Brown for a team-high eight points in the first 12 minutes.
Boston's sixth man led the way for a second unit that outscored the Cavaliers' bench 16-0. Payton Pritchard, getting first-quarter minutes for the shorthanded visitors, chipped in five.
That included two points on an incorrectly ruled goaltending as Caris LeVert tried to pull off a chase-down block on Pritchard's transition layup that capped a wild ending to the opening period.
The two teams combined to put 11 points on the board in the final 28 seconds -- six from the visitors, five from the hosts -- including a Sam Hauser three and Donovan Mitchell exploding to the rim for a layup through contact on a play the Celtics were late in using their foul to give.
Mitchell turned it into an old-school three-point play at the free-throw line, but that's when Pritchard leaked out for the previously mentioned layup that gave Boston a 33-26 lead entering the second quarter.
Boston's Bench Continues to Provide a Significant Boost in the Second Frame
Grant Williams, who didn't play in the first quarter, went 4/4 from beyond the arc in the second. He let it fly without hesitation, a needed development for him and the Celtics.
With 1:14 left in the second frame, Smart earned a Tommy Point, diving for a loose ball, getting it ahead to Brown, who attacked downhill before kicking the ball out to Brogdon for a right corner three that gave the visitors their largest lead of the night to that point, 68-53.
Between Williams registering 12 points, the most in the period, and Brogdon scoring eight, Boston's bench outproduced the Cavaliers' 20-12 in a second quarter where the Celtics put 35 on the board.
The second unit, led by Brogdon, who had 14 points and four assists, outscored Cleveland's 36-12 in the first half, helping the visitors take a 68-56 lead into halftime.
Brown's 15 points and five rebounds were team-bests, and his five assists matched Darius Garland for the most by all participants.
Those numbers are a testament to an excellent opening 24 minutes for Brown, both as a scorer, consistently attacking the basket, and facilitator, looking fresh the night after playing 47 minutes in a game that went to double overtime.
And while Mitchell was terrific offensively for the Cavaliers, generating 19 points, Cleveland saw nine turnovers translate to 15 points for Boston, a significant reason the hosts had trouble getting in rhythm and trailed by double-digits at the break.
Conversely, playing with pace, even when they weren't operating in transition, aided the Celtics' ball movement and the quality of the shots they were getting in a first half where they assisted on 18/25 field goals and shot 52.1 percent from the floor, including 13/25 (52 percent) from behind the arc.
A Slower Pace of Play Hurts the Celtics, again, in the Third Frame
In another example of how well Brown was doing as a facilitator Monday, he attacked from the slot, then sprayed the ball to Muscala in the opposite corner, who delivered a skip pass to Griffin at the left wing.
Griffin missed, so Boston came away empty-handed, but it's a winning process.
But the game started to shift as the Celtics' energy dropped and their pace slowed.
And when Mitchell came downhill, creating contact and finishing off the glass, his old-school three-point play pulled Cleveland within ten, 86-76.
But continuing to dig deep, Boston finished the frame on a 6-2 run, taking a 92-78 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Brown scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds, and distributed two assists, plus created other quality opportunities for his teammates.
But as good as he was, he played all 12 minutes. That probably shouldn't have happened in any frame in this game, save for, maybe, the fourth.
Second-Chance Points and a Cruel Twist of Fate Help Cleveland Rally to Force Overtime
The Cavaliers scored the first six points of the final frame, outhustling Boston to 50/50 balls, including a Lamar Stephens dunk on a second-chance opportunity.
And after Mitchell was the first one to get to the ball after he missed a pull-up jumper, then found LeVert for a three, Cleveland had cut a 14-point lead to seven, 94-87, in three minutes.
That brought Brown back into the game at the 8:30 mark.
From there, in another turning point, the Celtics staged a 7-3 run, including a Brogdon three and Muscala getting rewarded for following a three he bricked. After White couldn't corral the ball, which then went directly to Muscala for two points at the rim.
But continuing to struggle to keep the hosts off the boards, after Garland missed an open transition three, Stephens won the battle down low, with no one boxing out, then found Garland for a second chance he capitalized on, trimming the deficit to 102-96 with 3:45 left. It's the closest Cleveland's been since the second quarter.
The Cavaliers' run grew to 11-2, including ten-straight points, after another Garland three and a Stephens free throw, narrowing the gap to 102-100 with 2:53 remaining.
It grew to 18-6 when Mitchell attacked in transition, again getting into the paint relatively easily, getting a floater to fall through the net, giving the hosts a 107-106 edge with 24.1 seconds to play.
But even with Tatum inactive, Joe Mazzulla went to old faithful, positioning White in the backcourt on a sideline inbound, the role the Celtics' star usually occupies. And when Brown swung the ball back to White for an open three, a friendly bounce gave Boston the lead back, 109-107, with 12.8 seconds left.
Mitchell raced to the rim, earning a trip to the free-throw line, where he tied the game at 109 with 5.1 seconds left.
But the Celtics, who subbed in Pritchard, got the ball to him on the inbound, and he got all the way to the cup. His layup didn't go down, but Grant Williams got fouled as he went up for the rebound, sending him to the stripe with 0.8 seconds on the game clock.
In a cruel twist of fate for Williams and a Boston team already trying to block out the fatigue from a double overtime contest the night before, he went 0/2 at the line, sending the game to a fifth frame. Smart came so close to tipping in the second miss, but that didn't go down either.
Cavaliers Prevail in Overtime
Fatigue was quickly evident for the Celtics in overtime. That lends itself to poor decisions, like when Brown pulled up for a three at the start of a possession with Boston leading 112-111 and nearly three minutes remaining.
Brown, playing on tired legs, badly bricked the shot. Surprisingly, Cleveland took a timeout after that, prioritizing drawing up a set over trying to attack a team whose stamina bar was nearly empty.
While the Cavaliers didn't score on that opportunity, Stephens, who had the freshest legs on the floor, generated five-straight points, drilling a corner three, then producing a put-back that gave Cleveland a 116-112 advantage with 1:47 left.
Boston cut it to 116-114 on a Brown layup, but the Celtics couldn't get back in the win column, losing 118-114, falling short for the third-straight game and the fourth time in five contests.
Up Next
The Celtics return home to host the Trail Blazers Wednesday night in a game that tips off at 7:30 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game before, during, and afterward. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
Should the Celtics Prioritize Rest Over Their Pursuit of the One Seed? Joe Mazzulla Weighs in
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Knicks: Is it Time for a Priority Shift?
Joe Mazzulla Shares His Perspective on the Roots of the Celtics' Collapse vs. Nets
A Top Celtics Free-Agent Target Signs Elsewhere, Where Does Boston Go from Here?
