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Donovan Mitchell's availability will be among the top storylines Wednesday when the Cleveland Cavaliers visit the Boston Celtics for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

A strained left calf prevented Mitchell from playing Monday, when the top-seeded Celtics took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series with a 109-102 victory in Cleveland. Mitchell was injured in the final minutes of Cleveland's 106-93 loss Saturday in Game 3.

Following Monday's loss, Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Mitchell was day-to-day. Mitchell is averaging 29.6 points per game in the playoffs this season.

The fourth-seeded Cavaliers must win Wednesday to avoid elimination.

"They're a connected group that has been resilient all year long," Bickerstaff said. "We've been through a ton with this group, and never once has our group folded when guys have had opportunities or the team needs them to step up."

Cleveland is 12-16 in the games Mitchell has missed this season.

Darius Garland attempted to fill the scoring void Monday with 30 points and seven assists in 40 minutes. Cleveland was 15 of 48 from 3-point territory in the loss.

"He carried the load for us," Bickerstaff said. "He put pressure on them offensively, made them make tough decisions, and then I thought he made the right play. I thought he did a great job of sparking us and carrying us with spirit."

Boston's victory Monday was the first time it won a playoff game by fewer than 13 points this year. Cleveland kept the pressure on by trimming a 15-point deficit to five points in the fourth quarter.

"It's been a while since we had a grind-it-out, tough, back-and-forth, fight-it-out game," Boston's Jrue Holiday said. "So it felt good to really just get out there and execute and know that any type of game we play, we can execute and get the win."

Boston's Jayson Tatum had 33 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Game 4 win.

"We hung our hat tonight on the defensive end," Tatum said. "We made timely shots and even the ones that we didn't necessarily make, some of those kick-out 3s -- just good execution. Sometimes you don't make shots, but how connected we were on the defensive end -- when we had to get stops, we did."

Boston attempted 24 free throws in Game 4, 17 more than Cleveland.

"I'm not going to go into it, but that's ridiculous for the amount of drives that we have," Garland said. "The amount of paint attacks. Just having seven free throws in a basketball game when they're getting 24, I don't know. I'm not one of the refs.

"I'm not one of those guys with a striped shirt, but I know how many times I get hit. I know how many times my teammates get hit, put on the floor and we can't reciprocate it. It's tough."

A victory Wednesday would advance the Celtics to the Eastern Conference finals for the sixth time in the last eight years. Boston is 14-14 in home playoff games over the past three seasons, but 18-7 in road playoff games during that span.

"Now it's time to go back and play well in front of our fans and give them something to cheer for and try to get a win, " Tatum said.

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5/15 Game 5 Preview: Cavaliers at Celtics

Marc D'Amico

Max Strus made two mistakes in one second of play, which set the Celtics up to slam the door closed on Game 4 with a 3-1 series lead.

With Cleveland trailing by only five points and with less than 90 seconds remaining in the contest, Strus misfired on a 3-pointer from the top of the arc on a shot that could have made it a one-possession game. Instead, Jaylen Brown rose up at the free-throw line to grab the rebound, all while Strus reached in and fouled him. That foul was the sixth of the night for Strus.

So all in a second of time, Strus missed the opportunity to make it a one-possession game, he fouled Brown to put Boston on the edge of the bonus, and he fouled himself out of the game. That last part looms large, given that Strus had drilled a game-high five 3-pointers to that point of the game.

Brown immediately followed up Strus’ blunders with a knockout triple of his own from the right wing. That’s where Jayson Tatum found him for a 3-pointer that pushed Boston ahead 105-97 with 69 seconds left on the clock and ostensibly ended the game for Cleveland.

So Strus made the big mistakes, and Brown drilled the big shot, all to help the Celtics take a commanding 3-1 series lead back to Boston.

Q4 1:09 - [BOS 105-97] Brown 3pt Shot: Made (27 PTS) Assist: Tatum (5 AST)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 109, Cavaliers 102

The Boston Celtics will seek back-to-back road victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday when the teams play Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After splitting the first two games of the best-of-seven series in Boston, the top-seeded Celtics took a 2-1 series lead by earning a 106-93 road victory Saturday night. That bounce-back victory came after the fourth-seeded Cavaliers won Game 2 in Boston, 118-94.

"We were just trying to get a win, understanding that we didn't play as well as we wanted to in Game 2," said Boston's Jayson Tatum, who tossed in a team-high 33 points during the Game 3 victory. "And it was a great test and opportunity for us to come out and respond and play better and play harder and all those things."

Boston's Jaylen Brown added 28 points in Game 3, when the Celtics shot 51.2 percent from the field and made 13 of their 34 attempts from 3-point range.

"I think we just need everybody to be on the same page and everybody to come out with the right effort," Brown said. "That's 85 percent of the battle right there. We come out, we play hard, and then we're on the same page and the rest will take care of itself. We got enough talent in the locker room to beat teams.

"But if we're not on the same page and we're not playing hard, those are when we get ourselves in trouble. So making sure, before the game at film and shootaround, talking to everybody, touching everybody, letting everybody know that, 'Hey, we're not here to play around.' We didn't come to Cleveland for the weather, so let's go."

After allowing 28 points in the opening quarter Saturday, Boston held Cleveland to 65 points the rest of the way. Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points to lead the Cavaliers but appeared to aggravate a left knee injury in the fourth quarter. Mitchell left the court with 1:19 to play and walked straight to the locker room.

Boston led by nine at halftime at 57-48 then pushed the lead to 23 by scoring the first 14 points in the third quarter.

"(The 14-0 run) changed the game," Michell said. "Give them credit. They came out with a sense of urgency. It's tough to come back from that. They came out with an intention."

Mitchell made 7 of 12 3-point attempts, but the rest of the Cavaliers shot 5 of 24 from long range.

"I just think we didn't hit the same shots we did (in Game 2)," Mitchell said. "For us, just being able to finish ... we missed a lot of shots at the rim, myself included, missed a lot of shots that I think we just got to make."

Unfortunately for the Cavaliers, the Celtics seem to do their best work on the road. Boston is 3-0 in road playoff games this season, and 17-7 in road playoff games in the last three seasons. The Celtics have a 14-14 record in home playoff games during that same three-year stretch.

"It's the playoffs," Brown said. "Anything can happen, especially if you come out flat. We've got to do a better job of that. We can't think like this series is going to go like last series. We've got to come out and have the same defensive effort going into Game 4, and that's just the urgency we need to have."

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5/13 Game 4 Preview: Celtics at Cavaliers

Taylor Snow

Neither Jayson Tatum nor Jrue Holiday had been scoring the ball to their standards over the past few games. However, the duo got back on track with their best respective performances of the postseason Saturday night to help the Boston Celtics come through with a bounce-back win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tatum logged game-highs of 33 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists, while Holiday turned in 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with eight rebounds and five assists.

Meanwhile, Jaylen Brown kept his hot stretch alive with 28 points on 13-of-17 shooting, and the C’s rolled to a 106-93 win at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse where they regained a 2-1 series lead while handing Cleveland its first home loss of the postseason.

Tatum hadn’t logged a 30-point effort since March 28. Opposing teams had been loading up on him defensively of late, forcing him to impact the game in other ways, which he’d been doing. But it was nice to finally have a high-volume scoring night while also leading the game in several other categories.

“He’s a really great player that gets taken advantage of because he’s been really good for a long time,” said head coach Joe Mazzulla. “We really appreciate him. I thought he played a great game on both ends of the floor.”

Brown encouraged Tatum during warmups to come out aggressive, and that’s exactly what he did. The All-NBA wing scored eight points in the opening four minutes of the game and 12 total in the first frame. He drove to the rack relentlessly, earning nine trips to the free-throw line, where he made each attempt.

Al Horford said after the game that it was only a matter of time before Tatum put forth one of his classic, dominant efforts.

“JT is a special player,” Horford said. “He always figures it out. He’s the last guy I worry about.”

Holiday also had a special night. He scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, logging his highest-scoring game since Feb. 9 (20 points against Washington).

Scoring at high volume isn’t typically part of Holiday’s role on this team, but it’s what the Celtics needed out of him Saturday night, and he delivered at elite efficiency.

“Jrue was amazing tonight, and Jrue is kind of the glue that keeps us all together,” Tatum said. “He literally does everything that we need him to, sacrifices sometimes taking single-digit shots a couple games in a row. On a night where he can attack the mismatches, he can post up guys, he can obviously shoot the three. When he's being aggressive and in that great rhythm, it makes us that much better.”

When those two guys are both in a rhythm simultaneously, it makes the Celtics that much harder to beat. Add in Brown's performance, plus the bounce-back effort from the defense, and you've got a recipe for a convincing win.

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Tatum, Holiday Bounce Back on Offense, Help C’s Respond with Game 3 Win

The Cleveland Cavaliers cut what had been a 23-point deficit down to single digits partway through the fourth quarter of Game 3 Saturday night, to which Payton Pritchard responded with one of the biggest momentum-swinging shots of his career.

With 7:42 left in the game, Boston’s backup point guard confidently rose up from the Cavs’ logo and buried the triple to put the C’s up by 12 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

That long-range dagger kickstarted a 10-5 run, and Boston led by double digits for the remainder of the game en route to a 106-93 win to take a 2-1 series lead.

Q4 7:42 - [BOS 91-79] Pritchard 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)

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Keys to the Game: Celtics 106, Cavaliers 93

The Cleveland Cavaliers have wrestled home-court advantage away from the top-seeded Boston Celtics.

The next task is not giving it right back.

After splitting two games in Boston, the fourth-seeded Cavaliers look to make a big statement when they host the Celtics on Saturday night in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference second-round series.

After being crushed 120-95 in Game 1, Cleveland thrashed the Celtics on Boston's home floor in Game 2 and notched a 118-94 victory.

Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell understood that it was a huge breakthrough but immediately turned the attention to Game 3 -- suddenly the most important game of the playoffs for both teams.

"It's always good to get a win on the road, but at the end of the day, it's one game," Mitchell said after scoring 29 points. "So it was good to get the win. We did a lot of really positive things. But, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter.

"You got to go take care of home court. It's nice to get this win, but at the end of the day, we got one day to prepare and get ready to protect home court."

Boston is looking to bounce back quickly after it appeared it was going to roll through the series following the dominating Game 1 performance.

Trailing by as many as 29 in the second half of Game 2, after being tied at halftime, was a stunning development to the Celtics.

"Just get ready for Saturday," said Boston star Jayson Tatum, who had 25 points in Game 2. "Nobody was in there defeated, deflated. I mean, you never want to lose, especially in the playoffs.

"There's a lot of things we can learn from, and we get it -- the world thinks we're never supposed to lose. We're supposed to win every game by 25. And it's just not going to be like that all the time."

Mitchell was one of three 20-point scorers for Cleveland on a night in which his club shot 54.7 percent from the field. Evan Mobley had 21 points, 10 rebounds and five assists and Caris LeVert scored 21 points off the bench.

Mobley was a big factor on the defensive end as Boston shot just 41.3 percent from the field. Tatum and Jaylen Brown (19 points) were both 7 of 17 from the field and Derrick White (10 points) was 3 of 11. White scored 25 points in Game 1.

"That's where he's at his best, continuing to protect the paint," Mitchell said of Mobley. "Especially having him guard on the ball, and being able to deter them on their shots and layups. ...

"It's not easy attacking Evan like that, so just having him able to be that dominant, but also give us offensive production, was big time."

Mobley's play in the interior was huge with center Jarrett Allen (ribs) again sidelined. Allen has missed five straight games and is listed as questionable for Saturday.

Boston big man Kristaps Porzingis (calf) will miss his fourth straight game.

The Celtics went an NBA-best 64-18 during the regular season, so adversity was served in a minimum dose.

Brown, though, was highly concerned with the Game 2 loss.

"It was just a bad game," Brown said. "Obviously we didn't shoot the ball very well, but defensively it was an unacceptable performance, and I think that's where we look at that, and I'm the most upset.

"Defensively we gave up 118 points, and on top of that we lost the rebound battle (44-31). So we didn't help ourselves."

Now Boston finds itself in a big battle to regain control of the series.

"We don't expect it to be easy," Tatum said. "These are good teams we're playing, second round of the playoffs. So this is going to be fun the rest of this series and especially come Saturday. We've bounced back plenty of times."

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5/11 Game 3 Preview: Celtics at Cavaliers

Theresa Grannum

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Photos: Cavaliers vs. Celtics – May 9th, 2024

BOSTON – A double-digit Game 1 win followed by a double-digit Game 2 defeat.

The Boston Celtics have been here before, and they know how to respond.

The vibe after Thursday night’s 118-94 Game 2 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers felt similar to that of two weeks ago when the C’s dropped the second game of their first-round matchup to the Miami Heat. Although this is a new series against a different team, Boston’s mindset heading into Game 3 will be the same as before: to channel the frustration of their loss into motivation for a bounce-back performance. And they're hoping for the same Game 3 result as before.

Such frustration was evident when Jaylen Brown took the podium and picked apart the team’s abnormally poor shooting and defensive performances. In the series-tying loss, Boston shot just 22.9 percent from 3-point range, nearly 16 percentage points lower than their postseason average, while on the other end allowing the opposition to score almost 16 points more than their postseason average.

“Obviously we didn’t shoot the ball very well tonight, but defensively it was an unacceptable performance, and I think that’s where I’m the most upset,” Brown said. “Defensively we gave up 118 points, and on top of that, we lost the rebound battle. So we didn’t help ourselves tonight.”

Brown went on to explain that there is only one way to counter a loss like this.

“You take it on the chin, you learn from it, and you come out and put your best foot forward for the next game," he said. "We need to be ready to respond.”

The Celtics have responded to almost every loss throughout the season, including their 104-84 bounce-back win over Miami in Game 3 of Round 1.

While they felt frustrated following their latest loss, they certainly did not feel demoralized.

“Nobody in there was defeated or deflated,” Jayson Tatum described of the scene inside the Celtics’ locker room. “I mean, you never want to lose, especially in the playoffs … But the world thinks we’re never supposed to lose; we’re supposed to win every game by 25. And it’s just not going to be like that all the time. So we don’t expect it to be easy. It’s a good team we’re playing in the second round of the playoffs. It’s going to be fun, the rest of this series, especially come Saturday. We’ve bounced back plenty of times. We lost what, 18 games this year? So I’d like to think that we responded pretty well the few times that we did lose.”

Part of the reason the Celtics have responded so well following their losses lies in their head coach’s philosophy of taking an even-keeled approach regardless of the result.

“You treat it the same way you would a win,” Joe Mazzulla said fresh off of the defeat. “You come in tomorrow, you watch film, and you get better for Game 3.”

Added the veteran Al Horford, “That's what we did the last time, and we have to understand we're going into Saturday into a hostile place. It's going to be a battle. We just have to make sure we're at our best. I'm confident that we'll be ready to go."