Key Moment
The Celtics almost certainly would have been back in the win column had they made one of two free throws during the final second of regulation. Instead, they’re heading back to Boston with another overtime loss in their pockets.
Grant Williams misfired on two free throws with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, either of which would have broken a 109-109 tie. Cleveland did not have any timeouts remaining and therefore would have needed a miracle shot at the buzzer to have overcome a make by Williams.
His misses, however, reopened the door for the Cavaliers and they stepped right through.
Cleveland scored seven straight points from the 3:36 mark of OT to the 1:46 mark to take a 116-112 lead. That was enough to hold off the Celtics, who were playing their third overtime session in the last 48 hours. Boston simply didn’t have enough gas left in the tank to score the ball the rest of the way, and the Cavs snuck out with a 118-114 victory. The C’s shot just 1-for-6 from the field over the final four minutes of the extra session.
Key Player
Jaylen Brown nearly led the Celtics to a shocking win Monday night in Cleveland. Playing on the second night of a back-to-back and after he logged 47 minutes Sunday against New York, Brown was dominant for Boston.
The All-Star wing led the team in both scoring (32 points) and rebounding (13 boards). No other player on the team scored more than 24 points or grabbed more than eight rebounds.
On top of the scoring, Brown compiled his top passing game of the season. He dished out nine helpers to set a new season high, all while falling just one assist shy of the first triple-double of his season.
Brown played more than 45 minutes against Cleveland, which means he totaled 135 minutes of action over a four-day stretch that included three games.
Box Score Nuggets
- Jaylen Brown neared a triple-double with 32 points, 13 rebounds and nine assists.
- Malcolm Brogdon returned to the lineup to total 24 points, five assists and four rebounds off of Boston's bench.
- Donovan Mitchell led the game with 40 points.
- Boston's bench outscored Cleveland's 50-23.
- The C's shot just 14-for-21 from the free-throw line.
- Evan Mobley grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds and also scored 25 points.
- Lamar Stevens totaled just eight points and eight rebounds, but he finished with the game's top plus/minus rating, at plus-18.
- Darius Garland led the game with 12 assists.
- Grant Williams shot 4-for-5 from long distance en route to 12 points off the bench.
Quote of the Night
"Tell him I love him. It's a part of the game. He didn't miss them on purpose. Got to be able to move on from them."
- Joe Mazzulla on his message to Grant Williams