BOSTON — The Celtics showed little signs of rust as the best team in the NBA once again flexed their dominance. The C’s blew out the Cavaliers 120-95 in Game 1 of the East semifinals Tuesday at TD Garden in comfortable fashion. It’s now a 1-0 series lead for the Celtics over the Cavs.
Initially, the teams exchanged blows as the offense flowed easily. The Celtics were up 40-34 after the first quarter as the Cavs made six 3-pointers to keep pace. But the game turned into a rock fight from there as both teams cooled after the hot start. Still, it was a positive for the C’s to take a 10-point lead at halftime despite shooting just 27.3% from 3.
The Celtics looked like they were going to pull away throughout the third quarter, but the Cavs did well to hang around Tuesday’s game. Even when Derrick White earned some well-deserved chants from the Garden crowd, Donovan Mitchell made sure the Cavs didn’t get run off the court.
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But it was all Celtics from there to close out the game, never allowing the Cavs to get too close to mount a comeback attempt. The Cavs also went cold from the field while the Celtics’ shots finally started falling.
White had 25 points on 9-for-16 shooting as he caught fire in the third quarter. Jaylen Brown had 32 points after a hot start, shooting 12-for-18. Jayson Tatum finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds, though it was an off shooting night. Mitchell had 33 points as he was huge for the Cavs all night long. Both teams were shorthanded as the C’s were without Kristaps Porzingis (soleus strain) and the Cavs didn’t have Jarrett Allen (ribs). But it appears Allen is closer to returning to the court than Porzingis.
Game 2 of the East semifinals is set for 7 p.m. Thursday at TD Garden. Here are four takeaways from Boston’s win over Cleveland:
Continuing his streak: White was arguably the Celtics’ best player in their first-round series win over the Heat — he continued that red-hot play Tuesday. White finished 7-for-12 on 3-pointers to finish with 25 points and five assists. The guard got a “Derrick White” chant from the Garden faithful in the third quarter, where he poured in 14 points in the frame. All those 3s were much-needed as the C’s struggled from deep for much of the game.
Cooling off: While the Celtics had a solid start from the gate, it was the Cavaliers with an answer as they came out shooting. They started 5-for-8 on 3-pointers after struggling from beyond the arc in the first round. They also got a boost from Isaac Okoro, who made some early 3s, though that’s a player the C’s are going to be okay with giving up open shots. Regardless, the Cavs cooled off from there as the offense couldn’t keep up the pace. On the flip side, the Celtics were cold from 3-point land to start, but that quickly changed with White leading the charge. The C’s finished 39.1% from deep while the Cavs were just 26.2%.
Off-night: While the Celtics put together their victory, Tatum struggled from the field Tuesday. Tatum shot 7-for-19 from the field, including 0-for-5 on 3-pointers, as he was off-rhythm throughout the game. He did chip in through other means with five assists and three blocks. Fortunately for the C’s, they’re so talented they can weather a tough Tatum night. They’ll need him deeper in the playoffs to step up.
Giving a boost: A lot of eyes were going to be on Luke Kornet’s play with Porzingis sidelined for the short-term. The reserve big man injected some much-needed energy — and some barks — during his time on the court. Kornet collected 10 rebounds (six offensive) and two blocks in his 21 minutes, so while he wasn’t much of an offensive threat, his play helped pick up the Celtics. Xavier Tillman also got some run to open the second quarter, playing four minutes, before he played some late garbage-time minutes. But at this point, it looks like Kornet is the clear first big off the bench with Porzingis out.
