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Key Moment
Dennis Schroder continues to play at a high level for the Celtics, and Monday night, he was at his best during crunch time.
Schroder created eight points during the final 76 seconds of a tight game to push Boston into the winner’s circle.
The first play arrived with 1:35 remaining in the game and Boston leading by just one. Schroder ran a pick-and-roll with Al Horford and tossed a perfect pass over the top to the big man, who dropped in a bucket off the glass.
After Cleveland responded with a basket of its own, Schroder popped another two points onto Boston’s scoreboard via a driving, left-handed layup. This play again came off of a screen by Horford, who freed Schroder up to turn the corner and blow past the defense for two points.
Cleveland did not answer that basket, which gave the C’s an opportunity to build a two-possession lead during the final minute. They did just that after Schroder splashed home a turnaround jumper with 43.1 seconds left that gave Boston a 94-89 lead.
Schroder and Jayson Tatum added on two free throws apiece during the final 32.2 seconds of the game to close out Boston’s 98-92 victory. Rewind to those back-to-back buckets from Schroder, and you’ll find the two most important baskets of the night.
Key Player
Marcus Smart put forth one of his top all-around games of the season Monday night in Cleveland. That performance played a big role in the Celtics getting back into the win column with a 98-92 victory.
It was an efficient night offensively for the starting combo guard, who hit six of his 13 shots from the field. He was particularly strong inside the arc, where he made five of his eight attempts.
Smart rounded out his box score with five assists, four rebounds and two steals during the contest. Those five assists tied for the game’s top total, and those two steals tied for the team high.
Box Score Nuggets
- Boston scored 61 points during the second half, after scoring just 37 during the first half.
- Jayson Tatum led the Celtics with 23 points.
- Tatum, Marcus Smart, Evan Mobley and Cedi Osman tied for the game high in assists with five apiece.
- The Celtics limited Cleveland to just 38.6 percent shooting from the field and .
- Al Horford contributed 17 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks during 31-plus minutes of action.
- Both teams received at least 30 points from the bench (34 for Cleveland, 30 for Boston).
- Cleveland's Ricky Rubio (28 points) and Osman (26 points) led the game in scoring.
- Grant Williams came off of Boston's bench to score 11 points and grab four rebounds to go along with one assist and one steal.
- Williams logged the game's top plus/minus rating, at plus-10.
- Boston outscored Cleveland 42-28 in the paint.
- The Celtics made as many free throws (16) as Cleveland attempted.
- Evan Mobley and Dean Wade, two of Cleveland's starters, combined to shoot 0-for-15 from the field.
Quote of the Night
Al Horford on Boston's defense