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Wrap-Up -- It’s one thing to go into Atlanta and smush the Lottery-bound Hawks. It’s entirely another to do the same thing in Boston against the East’s top defensive squad on the day they retire Paul Pierce’s jersey.
The Celtics could have used Pierce in uniform as the Wine & Gold used the final three quarters to beat Boston up on national TV, winning their third straight in impressive fashion, 121-99, on Sunday afternoon at the TD Garden.
After a back-and-forth first period, it was all Cleveland from there – as the new-look Cavs outscored Boston, 90-67, over the next three quarters. The only drama remaining over the final 12 minutes was how many fans would be able to stomach the blowout before celebrating Pierce’s postgame ceremony.
Just about every Cavalier who saw meaningful minutes contributed to the win on Sunday – most notably the quartet of new players acquired at Thursday’s Trade Deadline.
George Hill was the only new addition to start – and he didn’t disappoint, scoring five of his 12 points in a key stretch to start the second half, going 3-of-8 from the floor, including 2-of-4 from long-distance in the win.
The other trio of new Cavaliers came off the bench and contributed to another 50-plus-point effort by Cleveland’s reinvigorated second unit.
Jordan Clarkson led the second unit with 17 points – going 7-of-11 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, adding three boards, an assist and a pair of steals.
Rodney Hood was right behind with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep, adding three boards and a block.
Larry Nance Jr. didn’t post double-figures, but he was active and aggressive in his 21 minutes of work, finishing with five points, four boards, three assists and a steal.
Overall, the Cavaliers shot 54 percent from the floor, 53 percent from beyond the arc against one of the Association’s stingiest defenses – one that held them to just 35 percent shooting in the previous meeting back on January 3.
The Cavaliers, looked like a completely different team from the listless squad that limped into Wednesday’s home meeting with Minnesota. LeBron James’ late-game heroics turned the tide that night, and following Thursday’s deft series of deals, the Wine & Gold have ridden that wave right through the weekend.
Had LeBron played in the fourth quarter, he likely would’ve notched his third straight triple-double. Instead, he spent the final period celebrating the smackdown with teammates along the Cavaliers bench. On the afternoon, the four-time MVP tallied 24 points on 9-for-20 shooting, adding a game-high 10 assists, a team-high eight boards, a steal and a blocked shot.
Seven Cavs notch double-figures as the Wine & Gold crush the C's.
JR Smith stayed hot – getting off to another strong start and notching double-figures for the fourth time in his last five outings – netting 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-4 from deep.
Cedi Osman, getting his second straight start, impressed once again – finishing with 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting, canning two of his three triple attempts, adding five boards and a steal.
On a day when almost everything came up Cleveland – Terry Rozier, the pride of Shaker Heights High, led Boston with 21 points and nine boards. Kyrie Irving posted a quiet 18 points on 7-for-14 shooting and Marcus Morris rounded out the Celtics in double-figures with 17 points.
As they did on Friday night at Philips Arena, the Cavaliers led in almost all statistical categories – outscoring the Celtics on the break (12-9) and in the paint (46-34).
Turning Point -- The Cavaliers were actually already in the driver’s seat when Sunday’s turning point rolled around.
Terry Rozier’s three-pointer cut Cleveland’s lead to 14 points with 4:31 to play in the third quarter, but that was as good as it would get for Boston in the second stanza. JR Smith answered with a triple of his own on Cleveland’s next possession, followed by back-to-back threes by Jordan Clarkson and Rodney Hood.
LeBron scored on a short floater and Clarkson buried his second straight bomb to put the Cavaliers ahead by 26 with just over a minute to play it the period. In the fourth, every starter but Cedi Osman enjoyed the afternoon’s blowout from the bench.
By the Numbers – 13.2, .533, .515 … JR Smith’s scoring average, shooting percentage and three-point percentage over his last five games.
Quotable – Coach Tyronn Lue, on Sunday’s big win in Boston …
”I think coming into a big game like tonight and all of our guys performed. All of our new guys performed and played well. So that’s a good sign. We just have to keep going off this one. It was a good win for us. We have to keep moving forward.”
Up Next -- After demolishing the Celtics on Sunday afternoon in Boston, the Wine & Gold close out the unofficial first half of the season on Tuesday night when they visit Russell Westbrook and the Thunder in OKC. Larry Nance Jr. will participate in the Slam Dunk Contest and LeBron James will start his 14th straight All-Star Game over the weekend before the Cavaliers get right back at it after the break – taking on the Wizards in their return on Thursday, February 22 at The Q.