David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
Here's What Stood Out in Celtics' Loss vs. Cavaliers: Boston's Versatility on Display, but Turnovers Lead to Overtime Defeat
After the Cavaliers exploited a size advantage against the Celtics early in Friday's tilt between two top teams in the East, Boston showed off its versatility, tapping into unbalanced lineups big and small that still afforded the host's what they needed at both ends of the court.
Whether Joe Mazzulla deployed Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the backcourt of a taller unit or paired those two with Marcus Smart, Malcolm Brogdon, and Al Horford, these creative lineups delivered.
The result was Boston seizing control of the game, scoring 75 first-half points against the NBA's second-ranked defense.
However, in the second half on a night where the Celtics committed 19 turnovers, leading to 24 points for Cleveland, the Cavaliers rallied in the second half, forcing overtime, then prevailing in the fifth frame.
Now, for a deep dive into what went right for the Celtics and their second-half collapse.
Celtics Start Slow but End First Frame on a High Note
The Cavaliers had little trouble generating points by having their big men exploit size advantages while the likes of Jaylen Brown and Derrick White tried to stop Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley at the basket.
That helped Cleveland jump out to an early 12-4 lead, with Allen and Mobley combining for half of that point total. The visitors also produced eight points in the paint.
Blake Griffin picking up three personal fouls in two minutes exemplified the Celtics' early trouble with limiting the whistles against them. As a team, Boston had six in the first seven minutes.
At the 2:43 mark, Malcolm Brogdon swiped the ball from Mobley, grabbing control of it on the run in transition, then attacked the basket before dishing to Sam Hauser for a layup that cut the host's deficit to 29-23.
In an effort to pace Al Horford, Joe Mazzulla brought Griffin back in with 1:45 left in the frame. Perhaps even more interesting was he operated at the four with Luke Kornet at center.
The rest of the lineup featured Brogdon and Jayson Tatum in the backcourt, with Sam Hauser rounding out the front court alongside Griffin and Kornet. That has my vote for Boston's funkiest lineup of the season.
As the quarter ended, Marcus Smart grabbed a Cedi Osman miss, pushed the pace, and swung the ball to Hauser, who swished a three from 29 feet, giving the Celtics a 34-33 lead.
Celtics' Versatility on Display in Second Quarter While Outscoring Cavs 41-29
On the first possession of the second quarter, Noah Vonleh did everything but finish, quickly attacking off the catch from the left corner, getting to the basket, but then couldn't get his jump hook to go down. Still, Vonleh attacking a closeout and getting to the cup stood out.
Continuing with a commitment to combat the size of the Cavaliers' front court, Mazzulla deployed Tatum and Jaylen Brown in the backcourt, trusting them to run the Celtics' offense while staying with Donovan Mitchell at the other end.
The early returns were the Celtics outscoring Cleveland 12-7 in three minutes, taking a 51-46 lead after Tatum drove for a layup he finished through contact then added the tax at the free-throw line. That also gave Tatum a game-high 16 points, with five coming at the stripe.
When Brown drove for a layup that gave Boston a 54-48 advantage with 5:27 left in the first half, it gave the law firm of Tatum and Brown a combined 12 points in the paint, reflecting the Celtics' stars attacking Cleveland's rim protectors without hesitation. Stops fueling Boston's transition attack helped, too.
Shortly after that, the TD Garden crowd erupted when Brown didn't take a three that no one would have faulted him for hoisting, instead making the extra pass, swinging the ball to Tatum for a three from the right corner.
On Boston's ensuing possession, a cutting Brown corralled a pass from Smart, dropped the ball off to Derrick White in the left corner, and White swished a long-range look that pushed the advantage to 65-51 with 3:07 remaining, prompting a Cavaliers timeout.
The Celtics took a 75-62 lead into the locker room.
In a reflection of their versatility, Boston's "unbalanced" lineups worked when the Celtics had more size on the floor with Tatum and Brown in the backcourt and when they went small, including a unit featuring Smart, Brogdon, Brown, Tatum, and Horford.
The hosts entered halftime shooting 65.8 percent from the field, including 9/16 (56.3 percent) from beyond the arc. Boston also produced 30 points in the paint and 16 at the free-throw line. Their spacing helped them capitalize on their aggressive approach, consistently profiting off attacking the rim. It also translated to 16 assists on 25 field goals.
Tatum led all scorers with 24 points on 7/9 shooting, adding seven points on eight free throws. Brown had 14, converting on 5/7 shots and going 4/6 at the stripe. Brogdon was terrific, too, contributing seven points and four assists off the bench while registering a plus-minus rating of plus-11.
Mitchell paced the Cavaliers with 17 points, while LeVert chipped in 15. Cleveland got held to 29 in the second frame, but were still playing well enough offensively to enter the break shooting 47.7 percent from the field.
However, the Cavaliers were 5/14 (35.7 percent) from long range. In the second half, Boston needs to stay disciplined as Cleveland figures to emphasize attacking the basket after scoring 26 points in the paint and 15 at the free-throw line on 20 attempts.
Celtics Turnovers Help Cleveland Regain Its Rhythm
Luke Kornet started in place of White in the second half. White's still on the bench, reflecting this is presumably a lineup change not prompted by injury.
At the 8:48 mark, after a Smart steal turned into him missing a one-handed jam at the other end, Horford retrieved the rebound and kicked the ball out to Tatum, who drove through an open lane for a layup, giving Boston an 81-68 lead.
As productive as Kornet's minutes were, and this doesn't take away from that, but with 6:44 to go, Mitchell came down the lane and put the over seven-feet-tall center on a poster.
Shortly after that, Mobley swatted a Tatum layup attempt; Smart fouled LeVert in transition, but he did so too softly to provide much resistance as LeVert banked in a layup. He then cashed in on the free throw to cut Cleveland's deficit to 86-77.
With 1:32 left, the Cavaliers tied the game at 92 after a transition pass from White hit Griffin in the face, fueling a fast break that ended with a dunk by LeVert.
Despite a turnover-filled frame, Boston entered the fourth quarter with a 99-95 advantage after Smart swished an above-the-break three and White leaked out for an open basket in transition.
Cavaliers Rally to Force Overtime
At the 10:01 mark, Mazzulla successfully challenged a shooting foul on Kornet, keeping the game tied at 99.
After the challenge, Boston went on a 7-0 run courtesy of layups from White, Kornet, and Brown. The latter's came with a contact, and he converted on the resulting free throw.
But then came a 7-0 Cavs run, including five points from Mitchell, tying the game at 106 with 5:28 to play.
On back-to-back possessions in the final two minutes, not boxing out LeVert burned Boston as he swooped in for the offensive rebound. First, after a Brown foul, it led to a Mitchell layup. The second time, LeVert dribbled to the three-point line and swished an open shot that put Cleveland ahead 113-112 with 1:10 to play.
But the Celtics countered, grabbing a Mitchell missed jumper, partially made possible by a terrific box out from Smart on Allen, leading to a fast-break layup for Brown. That gave Boston a 114-113 lead with 28 seconds left.
But after Allen went 1/2 at the free-throw line, Tatum couldn't get a fadeaway mid-range jumper to go down, resulting in free basketball at TD Garden.
Neither side scored 20 points in the final frame.
Tatum went 0/3 and did not score. Brogdon played nearly half the quarter and didn't attempt a shot.
Cavaliers Prevail in Overtime
Mitchell opened overtime by burying a three from the left wing to give Cleveland a 117-114 advantage.
With the visitor's leading 121-116, beautiful ball movement by Boston led to Tatum swinging it to Brown, who drilled a three from the left wing. Then, Brown intercepted a pass from Mitchell, finishing with a thunderous dunk at the other end, tying the game and going to the free-throw line. However, he couldn't capitalize at the stripe.
But a 5-0 run from LeVert, starting with him swishing an above-the-break three, again pushed Cleveland's lead to five, 126-121, with 1:55 remaining.
On a turnover-filled night for the Celtics, down 126-123 with 1:04 left, Tatum's attempted kick-out pass for a corner three got picked off by LeVert, forcing Boston to foul. He made both free throws, extending the Cavaliers' advantage to 128-123.
He then knocked down an off-the-dribble triple that Malcolm Brogdon contested to the point of fouling LeVert and the officials having to review it for a potential flagrant foul due to being in LeVert's landing space. Upon review, it was deemed flagrant.
That helped Cleveland close out its 132-123 victory over the Celtics.
Up Next
The Celtics host the Wizards on Sunday. The game tips off at 6:00 pm EST. Inside The Celtics will have content related to the game coming out before, during, and after. And follow @BobbyKrivitsky on Twitter for updates and analysis from pregame to post.
Further Reading
Once Uncertain Jayson Tatum Has Shown He Is Man For Job For Celtics
A Reflective Grant Williams Discusses His One-Game Suspension: 'I've got to be more mindful'
