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Wrap-Up -- On Tuesday night at The Q, the Cavaliers were never able to get over the hump.
Cleveland took brief leads early in the game and midway through the second quarter and came back to tie the affair at 92-apiece early in the fourth, but Boston essentially kept the Cavs at bay all night – hanging on for the, 116-106, win while handing Larry Drew’s squad its third straight loss and sweeping the season series.
The Wine & Gold got within a deuce on Larry Nance Jr.’s two free throws midway through the final period, but Boston answered with a 10-2 run that got them back into the driver’s seat – holding off a late rally to snap a four-game skid.
After failing to reach the 20-point plateau after eight straight on Sunday afternoon in Milwaukee, rookie Collin Sexton bounced back with a team-high 24 points on Tuesday – going 9-of-19 from the floor, including 3-of-7 from deep, adding three assists and two boards.
Jordan Clarkson followed up with 18 points and five assists, going 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-6 from the stripe. As good as those numbers were, the two missed free throws will haunt Clarkson – rattling out a pair with 2:29 to play that would’ve got Cleveland to within four.
Cedi Osman notched 15 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 from deep, to go with seven boards and a pair of assists.
Kevin Love rounded out the Cavalier starters in double-figures – doubling-up for the ninth time since the All-Star Break with 10 points and 11 boards despite shooting poorly from the floor – going 3-for-13 from the field, including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc to go with four assists.
Larry Nance Jr. came off the bench to post another strong all-around floor game – finishing with 13 points, a team-high seven assists, three boards and a steal.
Marcus Smart and Jayson Tatum each finished with 21 points to lead six Celtics in double-figures. Former Shaker Heights star Terry Rozier, playing in place of Kyrie Irving – out due to “load management” – finished with 11 points, five boards and a pair of steals.
Sexton drops a team-high 24 points on Tuesday night.
Turning Point -- After taking the lead midway through the first quarter, the Celtics spent the rest of the night answering the Cavs' runs.
They staved off Cleveland’s final push with less than three minutes to play.
After taking a 10-point advantage at the 3:31 mark, the Cavaliers scored two quick baskets by Larry Nance Jr. On Boston’s next possession, Nance picked Marcus Smart and fed Jordan Clarkson who was fouled by Aron Baynes – looking to cut Boston’s lead to four with 2:29 remaining.
But Clarkson clanged both free throws and Smart proceeded to convert an and-one on the other end. The five-point swing put the Celtics back up by nine and essentially put the game on ice.
By the Numbers – 2, 20, 20, 31, 22 … games this season, respectively, that Larry Nance Jr. has led the team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocked shots.
Quotable – Larry Nance Jr., on fighting hard against Boston on Tuesday night …
"It’s another sign of our resiliency. That’s growth. Earlier in the year, that could have snowballed and gotten to 20-30 on our home court. I think it shows some maturity and some growth that we stay in it and fought until the very end. That’s a playoff team and they’re poised for a pretty big run. The fact that we could hang in there, take some of their punches and throw some of our own was impressive."
Up Next -- After falling to the Celtics on Tuesday night, the Wine & Gold have just two more home games remaining this season – but they’ll come on the other end of a five-game, nine-day road trip that begins on Thursday night in San Antonio. On Saturday afternoon, the Cavs travel to Tinseltown for a matchup against the Clippers to wrap up the month. Cleveland faces off against the Suns on April 1 before wrapping up the campaign’s road schedule later that week with a back-to-back against the Kings and Warriors. The Cavaliers close out the season with home dates against San Antonio and the Hornets.