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Wrap-Up -- There’s no questioning the Cavaliers’ effort against the Celtics. They just couldn’t get over the hump.
Cleveland went toe-to-toe with arguably the Eastern Conference’s hottest squad, but late pushes by Boston in each of the final three periods spelled doom for the Wine & Gold, which dropped their second straight – 103-96 – on Tuesday at The Q.
The Celtics – who’d won nine of their previous 10 but came to town without their All-Star guard Kyrie Irving – led by eight at intermission, but the Cavaliers scrapped back to take a four-point edge midway through the third period.
But Boston went on a 15-5 run late in the quarter – taking a double digit lead and keeping Cleveland at bay over the final 12 minutes.
Rookie Collin Sexton was on pace to net the Cavaliers’ first 30-point performance of the season – piling up 27 points through the first three quarters before taking the collar in the fourth.
On the night, the Young Bull’s 27 led both squads and was his first 20-point outing since December 12. The feisty point guard went 11-of-24 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from long-range to go with four boards, three assists and a pair of steals.
Alec Burks pitched in with 21 points for the shorthanded Cavaliers – who dealt starting swingman Rodney Hood to the Blazers on Sunday and were still without Nik Stauskas and Wade Baldwin IV, who were acquired in the trade.
Overall, Burks went 9-of-19 from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range, adding four boards, two assists and two steals.
The only other Cavalier in double-figures was Larry Nance Jr., who doubled-up in his third straight game – netting 11 points and a game-high-tying 12 boards in 29 minutes of work off the bench.
Collin Sexton posts a team-high 27 points vs. Boston.
Ante Zizic grabbed double digit boards for the third time in his last four starts – snagging 12 rebounds to go with eight points on 3-of-7 shooting.
Four Celtics notched double figures in the win – paced by Jayson Tatum, who registered 25 points on 6-of-13 shooting. Gordon Hayward led all reserves with 18 points in his first game back at Quicken Loans Arena since suffering a horrendous lower leg injury in last season’s opener.
On the night, both teams canned nine three-pointers and were sharp from the stripe – where Cleveland went 7-of-8 and the Celtics, a perfect 14-for-14. Cleveland won the battle of the boards – 47-42 – and beat Boston up in second-chance scoring, 22-4.
Turning Point -- The Celtics used late pushes at the end of the second and third quarters to get themselves some much-needed breathing room, but the Wine & Gold were still hot on their tails into the fourth.
Cleveland got to within three points halfway through the final quarter – cutting Boston’s edge to 94-91 at the 6:26 mark on a gorgeous feed from Matthew Dellavedova for a Larry Nance Jr. dunk.
But Boston answered with a quick 7-0 run fueled primarily by Marcus Smart to put the Celtics back up double digits with just over four minutes to play and give them enough of an edge to seal the deal.
By the Numbers – 11.7, 11.7, .682 … Larry Nance Jr.’s scoring and rebounding averages – plus shooting percentage – over the last three games off the bench, doubling-up in each contest.
Quotable – Collin Sexton, on what produced his big game on Tuesday night …
"I’ve been working on layups, layups, layups. The last game, I missed a great bit – easy layups that I usually make. So that’s one thing I continued to work on this week and make sure I work on the three-ball because teams are daring me to shoot. So I have to knock those down for my teammates and it opens everything else up."
Up Next -- After wrapping up their three-game homestand with Tuesday night’s loss, the Wine & Gold hit the road for one more trip before the All-Star Break – a back-to-back this weekend beginning with a Friday night visit to our nation’s capital for a battle with Bradley Beal and the Wizards followed by their final trip to Indiana this season the following evening. The Wine & Gold close out the unofficial first half of the season at home – welcoming the Knicks on Monday night followed by a visit by the Nets on Wednesday.