*** After the Cavs wrestled home court advantage away from Boston following a Game 2 victory on Thursday, the Celtics returned the favor on Saturday night – defying a raucous crowd in Cleveland with a convincing 106-93 decision to take a 2-1 edge in the Semifinal series. The top-seeded Celtics shot 51 percent from the floor and got big performances from their All-Star frontcourt duo. Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 33 points, but it wasn’t enough for a Cavaliers team that shot just 43 percent from the floor on the night.
*** After a back-and-forth opening quarter, Boston began gaining some separation in the second – taking a nine-point lead into the locker room. The start of the third quarter proved to be Cleveland’s undoing, however, with the Celtics opening the second stanza on a 14-0 run, taking a 23-point lead less than three minutes into the period. The Cavs would rally back to within nine early in the fourth quarter, but Boston answered every attempt to draw closer and maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the night.
*** The Celtics held a 44-35 edge on the boards, but every other statistical category was relatively close. Boston drained 13 triples to Cleveland’s 12; scored 50 points in the paint to Cleveland’s 48 and committed 12 turnovers to just eight for the Cavaliers. One of the biggest disparities was in frontcourt scoring. The tandem of Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum combined for 61 points on 24-for-42 shooting. The Cavaliers starting duo of Max Strus and Isaac Okoro combined for just eight points on 3-for-15 shooting.
Donovan Mitchell | Game 3 Highlights, Cavs vs Celtics | 4.11.2024
*** Donovan Mitchell continued his prolific postseason run on Saturday night – topping the 30-point plateau for the fourth time in his last five outings, finishing with a team-high 33 points on 12-for-22 shooting, including 7-of-12 from long-range, adding six boards, three assists and a pair of steals. Through the first three games of the Eastern Conference Semis, the five-time All-Star is averaging 31.7 points per, shooting 52 percent from the floor, 53 percent from three-point range.
*** Mitchell lamented the loss postgame on Saturday night. “I think there were times where we tried to hit the home run, I think myself included. The first one I think of is the step back through that air bank just because I'm feeling good, don't need to take that shot. But at the end of the day, I'm not mad at the aggression. I'd rather it be an aggressive mistake than a passive one. So now, it's just get ready and figure it out for Monday.”
*** Evan Mobley wasn’t as sensational in Game 3 as he was Cleveland’s victory on Thursday night, but the 3rd-year man from USC was still solid in his sixth straight start in the middle while Jarrett Allen continues to nurse bruised ribs – finishing with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, leading the Cavs with eight boards. Mobley didn’t block a shot on Saturday night, snapping his postseason streak of 13 straight games with at least one rejection.
*** Darius Garland and Caris LeVert finished with 15 points apiece and did their best work in the fourth quarter on Saturday. In that final period, Garland notched seven points, going 3-of-6 from the floor and handing out three of his team-high six assists, while LeVert went 3-of-5 from the floor for eight points and grabbed a pair of rebounds. LeVert’s 15 points led all reserves as he outscored Boston’s combined second unit.
*** LeVert talked postgame about where Saturday’s game got away from Cleveland. “We’ve got to come out of halftime better. That was a point of emphasis at halftime for sure. We just didn't meet the bell on that. We made a push late, but we were already down 20, so it was too big to overcome.”
*** Dean Wade made his return to the lineup after missing over two months of action – finishing with five points, three boards, three assists and a block in 17 minutes of work off the bench. Prior to Saturday night’s action, Wade last played on March 8 in a home win over Minnesota.
*** Coach J.B. Bickerstaff talked postgame about Wade’s return. “I thought he was really good in his minutes, not playing basketball for eight weeks, having the confidence to come in and first shot was a catch-and-shoot three and he knocked down. I think that was a good sign for him, but I thought again, he did a really good job being who he is, defensively guard multiple positions and then helping us keep our offense moving.”
*** These two teams tangle again on Monday night for Game 4 before heading back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday. If necessary, Game 6 will go down at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, with Game 7 slated for next Sunday at TD Garden.