In the first game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Boston Celtics dominated, winning 120-95 on Tuesday night.
For a squad that has been seen as the title favourites for the whole of the season, it was a convincing start to the second round.
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In the aftermath of their five-game victory over the Miami Heat in the first round, Boston appeared relatively unsullied by their six-day repose.
With a game-high seven three-pointers and a team-high 32 points from Jaylen Brown, Derrick White helped the Celtics build a double-digit lead in the second quarter and never looked back.
Brown remarked, “I had it rolling tonight.” All you want to do is show up and execute the proper plays and readings. That is all there is to it. playing with confidence and using your teammates as leverage.
The Celtics defeated Cleveland 55-38 in the rebounding contest and outshot them from the field, three-point range, and the free throw line.
Jayson Tatum made 7 of 19 shots for 18 points. He cited the crushing victory in Game 1 as proof of the variety of ways the Celtics can attack their opponents from the offensive end, even on a bad night.
Tatum remarked, “We have a really talented team.” “It demonstrates our team’s depth and our versatility in winning games.”
In the defeat, Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 33 points and six assists. After playing 45 minutes in Cleveland’s Game 7 victory over the Orlando Magic over the weekend, Mitchell recorded a game-high 37 minutes on Tuesday. J.B. Bickerstaff, the head coach, is aware that Mitchell must put in a lot of work if his team is to defeat the Boston Celtics in the second round.
We make every effort to keep him visible. He spends more than 40 minutes a game on it. Because we are aware of his significance, we are making every effort to keep him visible,” Bickerstaff stated. “But he won’t have anything left in the fourth quarter because we won’t run him into the ground.”
Having Jarrett Allen in the starting lineup would also benefit the Cavaliers.
With a rib injury, the 6-foot-11 centre has missed Cleveland’s past four games and is listed as questionable going into Thursday night’s game. Throughout the regular season, Allen participated in 77 games and contributed to the defensive unit that allowed the third fewest points per game among Eastern Conference clubs.
Kristaps Porzingis, the forward for the Celtics, is still out due to a calf injury he sustained in Game 4 of the first round. Although Porzingis is healing “better than we thought,” head coach Joe Mazzulla said earlier this week that he does not have a timetable for his comeback.
The series moves to Cleveland for Game 3 on Saturday night, following Game 2 on Thursday night.