The Boston Celtics went into Cleveland and walked out with a 109-98 win over the Cavaliers on Sunday, getting a strong collective effort to pull away from one of the East's best teams.
Jaylen Brown led Boston with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. Jayson Tatum added 20 points while Payton Pritchard was excellent off the bench — 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting with 7 assists. Baylor Scheierman quietly put together a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 6-of-8 shooting, knocking down four of six three-point attempts. Sam Hauser went 5-of-10 from deep for 15 points. Boston's bench combined for 41 points, a big reason the Celtics were able to build and sustain a lead that stretched as large as 26.
The Cavaliers got 30 points from Donovan Mitchell on an efficient line — 9-of-18 from the field with nine free throw attempts — and Evan Mobley contributed 24 points and 8 rebounds. James Harden posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists. But Cleveland shot just 28.9 percent from three and couldn't find enough firepower to seriously threaten Boston down the stretch. The Cavaliers had a chance to trim it in the third quarter, outscoring the Celtics 33-30, but Boston closed the door with a 21-point second quarter that gave them the cushion they needed.
Boston improves on the road. Cleveland falls back as one of the few teams that can challenge the Celtics in the East, though Mitchell's continued brilliance keeps them firmly in the conversation.
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