April 10 vs Celtics

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Wrap-Up - On Friday night, the shorthanded Cavaliers had their 18-game home win streak snapped by a playoff-hungry Celtics squad that’s won their last six on the road – falling, 99-90, in their first loss in Cleveland since January 7 – the game following the deal that brought J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland. It was the first home loss for Smith, Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov in a Cavaliers uniform.

The Cavaliers had nothing to lose or gain on Friday night after locking up the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff picture on Wednesday in Milwaukee. Cleveland was without the services of Kyrie Irving – a late scratch with a sore right hip – and Iman Shumpert – who suffered a right quad contusion against the Bucks.

Cleveland toyed with several unique lineups throughout the night – shaking the rust off some Cavaliers that might prove essential when the league’s second season tips off next weekend. Mike Miller logged 23 minutes and Shawn Marion, 21. Even rookie Joe Harris, who spent Wednesday night leading the Canton Charge to a Game 1 playoff victory, got a nice 13-minute run on Friday night.

Kevin Love led the Wine and Gold with 19 points, going an even 6-for-12 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc to go with six boards and four assists.

LeBron James followed up with 14 points despite joining four starters on the bench for the entire fourth quarter. James added seven assists, three boards and a steal. Timofey Mozgov rounded out the starters in double-figures with 13 points on 6-for-10 shooting.

The only starter who did play into the fourth quarter was Matthew Dellavedova, who finished with nine points and a team-high eight assists.

Both Mike Miller and Tristan Thompson were solid off the bench on Friday night. Miller canned three three-pointers in the third quarter and finished with 11 points and Tristan continued to make his case for Sixth Man of the Year – snagging 12 boards in just 16 minutes of work.

The Celtics shot 45 percent from the floor to Cleveland’s 41. Boston held the Cavaliers to a single fastbreak point and forced them into 22 turnovers. Rookie Marcus Smart led the Celtics with 19 points and former Buckeye, Evan Turner, led everyone with 13 of Boston’s 30 assists.

Watch final game highlights from Friday's game.

Turning Point – The Celtics were in charge through most of the first half – leading by as many as 16 in the second quarter.

But midway through the third, Mike Miller replaced a struggling J.R. Smith and ignited Cleveland’s comeback from long-distance. His first trey of the quarter got the Cavaliers to within three and his next bomb one minute later tied the game at 68-apiece – capping a 15-2 run. Miller’s third three with 40 seconds to go in the quarter knotted the affair at 77-each, but Jae Crowder’s field goals to end the quarter put the Celtics back on top by a deuce.

Early in the fourth, Joe Harris’ three-pointer got the Cavs back to within a point, but Boston went on a 9-2 run of their own to put the game on ice.

By the Numbers – 501 … total rebounds that Tristan Thompson has grabbed off the bench this year, most among all NBA reserves.

Quotable – Coach David Blatt, on resting guys over the final few games of the regular season …

”Honestly, we’re worried about ourselves right now and about trying to deal and balance to diametrically opposed things. One is to keep guys in shape and the other one is to rest them. The result of the games are a little less important because we’ve finished in second place in the Eastern Conference and we’ve won the division, and that’s not going to change one way or another. Those are the only two things to consider.”

Up Next – Following Friday’s loss at The Q, the Cavaliers travel to Boston for a Sunday afternoon affair as the 2014-15 regular season enters its final week. On Monday night, the Wine and Gold return home where they’ll wrap up their season series with the Pistons. On Wednesday night, Cleveland closes out the campaign against John Wall and the Wizards on Fan Appreciation Night. And next weekend, after a four-year absence, NBA Playoff basketball returns to Quicken Loans Arena.

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Celtics Snap Shorthanded Cavs Home Win Streak

Cavs.com

(On his fourth quarter substitutions): "We came in with a very specific idea of how we wanted to play the game minutes-wise and I was just remaining true to that regardless of the score."

(On what he takes away from tonight's game): "First of all, it was a good game for us. The Celtics played well. Credit to them. We got a chance to play some guys that haven't seen the floor a lot. We really wanted to do that and at the same time give our starters some significant rest in the game without sitting them all together. Kyrie (Irving) not playing as planned, and honestly, that was a last minute thing. He came in after the morning shootaround and he was a little sore in the hip. We just decided to see how he felt at game time and he did not feel better so I decided to shut him down. That was not the plan originally. So him not playing made it a little more difficult but we got real good performances. I thought Mike (Miller) came in and looked great. Perk (Kendrick Perkins) did a nice job for us as did Shawn (Marion), and that's good. Those guys got a chance to see the floor and those are all good players that work hard every day. You never know when you're going to need one of those guys and all of them are making sure they're ready for what's coming up. So those are the takeaways from the game."

(On if his team is worried about who will get the No. 7 seed): "No. Honestly, we're worried about ourselves right now and about trying to deal and balance to diametrically opposed things. One is to keep guys in shape and the other one is to rest them. The result of the games are a little less important because we've finished in second place in the Eastern Conference and we've won the division, and that's not going to change one way or another. Those are the only two things to consider. Our guys lived up to the challenge that I felt we should finish in second, but whoever we draw in the playoffs, that's not something we're planning for or trying to arrange. That's not at all a thought in our minds. Our thought is how to play this period of time and keep guys in their rhythm. At the same time, we want to rest them and come to the first playoff game in the best possible shape."

(On balancing rest and maintaining rhythm): "I think we did a good job of that tonight with the guys that were in. We gave what we had tonight. We had a few guys out. You have your practice days, you have your shootaround days as well, going down the stretch to stay in the rhythm."

(On if it's tough to sit in close games): "Being a competitor, for sure. For me, being a 12-year veteran, the bigger picture is always what's important. For us, what's important is for us to stay in rhythm. I think we got some really good minutes out of the guys that were in the lineups – the big guys that played the bulk of the minutes and also to stay healthy. We came out of the game and everyone was healthy, that's the main thing."

(On Mike Miller playing tonight): "I think it's good for anyone to see the ball go through the net – no matter how great of a shooter you are like Mike Miller and James Jones and those guys. To see the ball go through the net and meaningful minutes like it was in the third quarter, it was big time for himself, I know it as well. I was happy to be out there with him."

(On David Blatt's minute setup): "It was a great thing. Most everyone got to log minutes. Shump (Iman Shumpert) took a big hit last game to the leg and Kyrie (Irving) got some rest. So I think other guys were able to step in and try to find some sort of rhythm which is going to help us moving forward."

(On the Cavs' 12-0 run in the third quarter): "When LeBron is out there driving and you've got (Kevin) Love, Mike Miller, Dellavedova and J.R. Smith or James Jones out there, that's four really good shooters. Any of them can hit three in a row at any time, and that's scary."

(On the Cavs' third quarter): "(LeBron) and Love really got it going in that third quarter. They don't have to show me what they're capable of. First of all, I watched it on TV for years, and then I saw it firsthand the last time we were here. We took a pretty good punch in that third quarter."

(On the Cavs' third quarter): "I thought Evan (Turner) and Jae (Crowder) tried to make it as difficult as possible…He's such a hard guy to cover. When he wants to get to the rim, he can. That's why you have to be back in transition. You can't be running with your guy, because you need five back to help stop him."

(On if Boston's blowout loss at The Q in March weighed on them going into tonight): "It weighed a lot, especially after we went through that game. All we talked about was coming back here and trying to redeem ourselves. We just wanted to give it our all out there tonight."

(On the absence of LeBron James and Kevin Love in the fourth quarter): "We weren't paying any attention to that. We have one thing on our minds, and that's to keep playing. We had a feeling that they weren't going to play that much, especially in the fourth quarter. But our goal was just to focus more on our team. If they're out there, they're out there. If they're not, they're not."

(On Boston staving off the Cavs' third quarter comeback attempt): "We knew the first five minutes were really important. We just tried to keep bouncing back. I think with our rhythm and tone, the way we started, we were ready to withstand anything they gave us."

(On the key to winning if the Celtics face the Cavs in the playoffs): "I think we have to set the tone, play hard and press our tempo. They've got three of the best players in the world and a lot of great role players. It might be a rough night if you go along with their tempo as we've already seen."

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Game Quotes: Cavaliers at Boston Celtics - April 10

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Listen to Radio Play-by-Play announcer John Michael's Call of the Game during the Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics game on April 10, 2015. Kevin Love goes up strong inside and finishes, plus the foul.

Escucha a la voz en español de los Cavaliers Rafa "El Alcalde" con la narración de la jugada del partido entre Los Cavaliers de Cleveland y Los Celtics de Boston en El Quicken Loans Arena de Cleveland, OH  el 10 de Abril del 2015. Los Cavs perdieron en El Q por primera vez en 19 partidos al caer frente a Los Celtics 99-90 en una noche que nos trajo la reaparición de Mike Miller con 3 triples inmensos en el tercer cuarto. El primero acercó a Los Cavs a 3 puntos en el tercer cuarto.

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Call of the Game: Cavs vs. Boston Celtics - April 10

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Cavs vs. Boston Celtics – April 10, 2015

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After dropping the Bucks on Wednesday night in Milwaukee, the Wine and Gold have nothing to really play for on Friday and through the rest of the regular season. They locked up the Central Division and are locked in to the second seed in the Eastern Conference, but can still have a hand in Boston’s playoff fate – as the Celtics, who are just ahead of Brooklyn for the seventh seed – try to nail down a playoff spot with four games to go.

After tonight’s meeting at The Q, the Wine and Gold travel to Boston on Sunday afternoon where they’ll wrap up the season series. The Cavs have already topped Boston twice this season, winning a 122-121 thriller after trailing by 17 points in the fourth quarter in their first visit to Boston and thumping the Celtics by 31 points in an early-March matchup at The Q.

As we’ve said about the Cavaliers many times in the second half of the season, Brad Stevens’ squad is a different team than the one Cleveland’s faced early this season.

With last Sunday’s win over the Bulls at The Q, the Wine and Gold notched their 18th straight home victory – the second-longest home win streak in the league this year (behind Golden State’s 19-game run) and the third-longest in Cavaliers franchise history (behind a 22-game streak in 1988-89 and a 23-game stretch in 2008-09).

On the season, the Cavaliers are 29-9, one of only five teams in the league who have dropped less than 10 home contests. During the win streak, the Cavs have topped 14 of the 18 opponents by double-digits and have allowed only one of those foes to top the century mark.

But, as previously mentioned, the Celtics are a different team than they were even one month ago. They’ve won their last five road games and are averaging over 110 points per in those victories. Boston was once a lottery-bound squad, but their 16-11 mark after the All-Star Break has put them right back in the playoff picture.

The Cavs will have their hands full on Friday with a hungry young team that’s beginning to taste success on the road.

There was initially some speculation about LeBron James sitting Friday’s contest out – with the Cavaliers locked into their playoff positioning. But the 11-time All-Star was adamant after Friday morning’s shootaround that he would play later tonight.

Over the course of his future Hall of Fame career, there’s no team that LeBron loves torturing more than the Celtics. This season, he’s averaging 34.0 ppg against Boston – dropping 41 points on them in the first meeting and 27 (in just over 25 minutes of work) in Cleveland’s blowout win at The Q. Including those two contests, LeBron has now scored at least 20 points in his last 35 games – his longest stretch against any opponent. In 38 career games against Boston, James has averaged 30.3 ppg – highest among all NBA opponents – adding 6.6 boards, 6.5 assists, 1.9 steals and 1.1 blocks.

Evan Turner, Jae Crowder and Brandon Bass will all get the unenviable task of trying to check the King on Friday night. History is not on their side.

One of the biggest reasons for Boston’s turnaround has been the play of their smallest player – Isaiah Thomas, who the Celtics acquired from Phoenix at the Trade Deadline.  He’s also been one of the best bench players in the NBA this season and, like Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson, should garner some votes for Sixth Man of the Year. In 17 games off the bench with Boston since the deal, Thomas is averaging 18.9 ppg – the highest total for any reserve since the All-Star Break.

And Thomas has been even better over his last three games, averaging 27.3 points on 56 percent shooting. Over his last three – including a 34-point, six-assist game at Detroit on Wednesday night – Thomas is also shooting 43 percent from beyond the arc and 90 percent from the stripe. And although Avery Bradley gets the start for Boston, Thomas will certainly see some action against Kyrie Irving – the first player taken in the 2011 Draft in which Thomas was the final player taken.

Kyrie is coming off a 27-point outing in Milwaukee and has had some big games against Boston, but he (and Matthew Dellavedova) will be challenged in a major way against the Celtics’ potent one-two point guard punch.

Over the summer, as the Cavaliers were reshuffling the roster, Tyler Zeller was dealt to the Celtics after his sophomore season in Cleveland. Zeller was reinserted into the starting lineup after the All-Star Break and he’s been a big part of Boston’s second-half turnaround.

Since mid-March, the former Tar Heel has averaged 12.2 points and 6.0 boards per contest and, on the season, Zeller has shown one of the biggest improvements in the NBA. Only Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Draymond Green and the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo, have made bigger leaps in scoring from last year to this season. Zeller, who hasn’t done much against the Wine and Gold in two games this season, will have to work for everything against his old mates on Friday night.

Timofey Mozgov struggled offensively against Milwaukee, but he’s been very good on the defensive end since joining the squad in mid-January. And Tristan Thompson is coming off his eighth double-double off the bench this season after an 11-point, 10-reound effort in just 25 minutes of action against Milwaukee. The guard matchup will be fun and we all know what LeBron James does against the Celtics.

But tonight’s game could come down to what the big men do in the trenches.

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Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Celtics - April 10, 2015

The Cavaliers, winners of 12 of their last 14 games, are back at Quicken Loans Arena tonight where they will begin a home-and-home set with the Boston Celtics. Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET.

After their 104-99 win in Milwaukee on Wednesday, Cleveland (51-27) clinched its fourth Central Division title in franchise history (1975-76, 2008-09, 2009-10), as well as the Eastern Conference’s No. 2 seed for the 2015 NBA playoffs.

The Cavs have won a season-high 18 straight games at Quicken Loans Arena, outscoring opponents by an average of 14.6 points (105.9-91.3). It is their 3rd-longest home winning streak in team history. The Cavs have also won by double figures in 14 of their last 18 games at The Q. All 18 home opponents have shot .450 or less from the field, while just one of their last 18 home foes have scored 100 points. The defense has held opponents to an average of 91.3 points on .405 shooting during those 18 straight home wins.

On the season, the Cavs hold a 29-9 record at The Q and are one of only five NBA teams that have yet to lose 10 home games this season (GSW, ATL, POR, SAS). At The Q in 2014-15, the Cavs are a perfect 21-0 when scoring at least 100 points (40-5 overall), a perfect 13-0 when shooting .500 or better from the field (22-0 overall) and a perfect 16-0 when shooting .400 or better from behind the arc (25-2 overall).

Boston (36-42) is tied for the seventh seed with the Brooklyn Nets and own the tiebreaker due to a better head-to-head record.

The Celtics have won four of five and five straight on the road after beating Detroit 113-103 on Wednesday. Isaiah Thomas poured in a season-high 34 points off the bench as the Celtics scored 26 off 19 turnovers.

Tune into FOX Sports Ohio with #CavsLive at 7:00 p.m.

100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Get into the conversation with other die-hards.

Probable Starters/Status Update*presented by Cleveland Clinic

Status Update: Anderson Varejao, (Left Achilles Tendon Rupture, Out)

Celtics: PG - Marcus Smart, SG - Avery Bradley, SF - Evan Turner PF - Brandon Bass, C - Tyler Zeller

Status Update: (Celtics) - None to Report

Cleveland is 2-0 against the Celtics this season, which includes a 110-79 victory on March 3 at The Q. The 31-point win was tied for the largest margin of victory over the Celtics in franchise history (April 12, 2009). Boston was also outscored by at least 12 points in each of the first three periods of a game for the first time in Celtics’ history. Seven players scored in double figures for the Cavs, who held the Celtics to 79 points on an opponent season-low 31-88 (.352) shooting from the field.

The Wine and Gold trail the all-time series against the Celtics 73-120 (50-47 Home, 23-72 Road).

TV: FOX Sports Ohio, Radio: 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega, AM 1590 WAKR (Akron)

Tune into #CavsLive on FOX Sports Ohio starting at 7:00 p.m.

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike, @chones22, @FSOAllieOop and @ElalcaldeRafa on Twitter.

Programming Note: Tonight,  FOX Sports Ohio is carrying the Reds-Cardinals game (7:00 p.m.), Blue Jackets–Sabres game (7:00 p.m.) and the Cavs–Celtics game (7:30 p.m.). More Info | View Conflict Schedule

Downtown Cleveland will be buzzing with excitement tonight as tens of thousands of fans will descend upon the Gateway District for the Cleveland Indians home opener against the Detroit Tigers at 4:10 p.m. at Progressive Field and the Cavs game at The Q. Unfortunately, this means more traffic. Click here to view suggestions and traffic patterns for making your experience as smooth as possible.

After tonight's game, the Wine and Gold will travel to Boston to square off against the Celtics on Sunday. Tipoff is at 3:00 p.m. ET.

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GameDay Preview: Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics

On Friday, April 10, 2015, FOX Sports Ohio is carrying the Reds-Cardinals game (7:00 p.m.), Blue Jackets–Sabres game (7:00 p.m.) and the Cavs–Celtics game (7:30 p.m.). This information is also available online HERE.

Cavaliers Live Pregame Show begins at 7:00 p.m. | Tipoff at 7:30 p.m.

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Where to Watch: Cavs vs. Boston Celtics - April 10

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