Game Summary
The Cavaliers continue their 2018 Preseason on Saturday when they take on the Boston Celtics in The Land. Tipoff from The Q is set for 7:30 p.m. (ET).
The Wine & Gold should be pleased with what they saw in their first Preseason game on Tuesday night after the squad topped Saturday's opponent, 102-95, in Boston. From the vets to the rooks, almost everyone was getting in on the action.
Cavs Host Celtics
From where to catch all the action to Saturday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.
FOX Sports Ohio, NBATV
100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega
Learn more about Saturday's matchup.
Look ahead at the Preseason Schedule.
Great seats are still available!
Seasoned vet Kevin Love - who is showing no signs of slowing down at age 30 - canned 17 points in 17 minutes in the first half of the game, shooting 50 percent from the floor and hitting five of his seven free throws.
At the other end of the age spectrum, 19-year-old Collin Sexton lived up to his first round potential after scoring 15 points in his first 23 minutes of NBA action, good for second-most in points on Tuesday evening. After averaging 19.2 points at Alabama last year, The Young Bull looks like he'll be trying to set the bar high for his first season of pro ball.
Another big performance came from one of the Wine & Gold's more recent additions, David Nwaba. The third-year guard posted 12 points as well as four boards off the bench.
In total, six Cavaliers were able to post double-digit scoring outings (Love-17, Sexton-15, Nwaba-12, Clarkson-12, Osman-11, Hood-10), compared to the Celtics who only had four players tally 10-plus points.
Speaking of Boston, the Celtics are now 1-2 this Preseason. A big reason for the C's poor start stems from their inability to to perform consistently over two halves. In their first meeting with the Hornets, the Celtics led big at the end of the 25 minutes, but were outscored in the final two frames. The opposite rang true on Tuesday night after finding themselves down by 19 heading into halftime.
Of course, it's only the Preseason and games don't count until they officially count later this month. There are positives, however, to take away from the Celtics play these last three games. Marcus Morris, for example, has been red hot in each of those games, scoring in double-digits in all of them.
Going forward, the Celtics will have one more chance to tweak things before they kickstart their Regular Season on Oct. 16 against Philly.
Where to Catch the Action
TV: FOX Sports Ohio, NBATV
Radio: 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Probable Starters/Status Update*
#2 - Collin Sexton
#1 - Rodney Hood
#16 - Cedi Osman
#15 - Sam Dekker
#22 - Larry Nance Jr.
G
G
F
F
C
#12 - Terry Rozier
#0 - Jayson Tatum
#20 - Gordon Hayward
#7 - Jaylen Brown
#42 - Al Horford
Status Update: (Cavs) - None to report.
Status Update: (Celtics) - None to report.
*Subject to change.
Head-to-Head Matchup
Before Tuesday's game earlier this week, the Cavaliers were already very familiar with the Celts and how they play their brand of basketball after topping them not only in the 2018 Eastern Conference Final, but also winning their 2018-19 Regular Season series, 2-1.
Cleveland won the first meeting last season, beating Boston by a score of, 102-99 in their home opener. In the win, Kevin Love notched a double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 11 rebounds through 28 minutes of action. JR Smith also scored in double-digits as a starter.
In their final meeting, the Cavs saw their whole squad contribute in a 20-point victory. Jordan Clarkson, who was playing in his first game as a Cavalier, posted 17 points on 7-11 (.636) shooting while JR Smith shot 6-7 (.857) from the field, including 3-4 (.750) from three-point range, finishing with 15 points and six rebounds. Rodney Hood, who also played in his first game with Cleveland, tallied 15 points on 6-11 (.545) shooting, while George Hill and Cedi Osman both notched 12.
For Boston, Kyrie Irving led his team in each of the Celtics' losses, scoring 22 points in the home opener and 18 in the final meeting.
Looking forward, the Cavs will play the Celtics one more time in the Preseason (Friday, October 6) before meeting for the first time in the 2018-19 Regular Season on November 30 in Boston. They'll do battle again in Boston on January 23 before playing their first game at The Q on Tuesday, February 6. The two teams will round out their four-game season series in Cleveland on Tuesday, March 26.
On Deck
Following the Cavaliers' game against Boston on Saturday, the team will stay put at The Q to do battle with the Indiana Pacers on Monday at 7:00 p.m. (ET) before rounding out their Preseason schedule with a game against the Detroit Pistons at Michigan State's Jack Breslin Students Events Center on Friday, October 12. That game is slated for 7:00 p.m. (ET).
Once Preseason wraps up, the Wine & Gold will open their 2018-19 Regular Season on the road against the Toronto Raptors (Wednesday, October 17) and the Minnesota Timberwolves (Friday, October 19). The Cavs' home opener will take place on Sunday, October 21 at 6:00 p.m. (ET) against the Atlanta Hawks.