During the 2015-16 season, the Boston Celtics almost defeated the unstoppable Golden State Warriors, who were 23-0 at the time, but they lost in double overtime. On Tuesday night, however, they seized their opportunity to give the Cleveland Cavaliers their first defeat.
Exciting Performances
The game was electrifying as Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell put on a spectacular show. Tatum scored 33 points with six three-pointers and added 12 rebounds and seven assists. Meanwhile, Mitchell racked up 35 points but struggled from beyond the arc. The Celtics improved to a 12-3 record while ending the Cavs’ historic start of winning 15 straight games.
JT & Spida put on a SHOW in #EmiratesNBACup action ๐ค
Tatum: 33 PTS, 6 3PM, 12 REB, 7 AST
Mitchell: 35 PTS, 3PM, 8 REBCeltics move to 12-3 (and 1-1 in East Group C ๐) as the Cavs' historic 15-0 start to the season comes to a close.
— NBA (@NBA)
Cavs’ Comeback Effort
In their narrow loss of 120-117, Cleveland fought hard in the second half. They managed to reduce Boston’s lead from a whopping 21 points to just two on several occasions. Despite forcing turnovers and grabbing offensive rebounds, they couldn’t overcome Boston’s impressive shooting from downtown.
Fans love how unpredictable basketball can be!
Shooting Struggles
Donovan Mitchell tried his best with a high-scoring effort but struggled with his three-point shots. Darius Garland had an even tougher night, scoring only eight points after missing all his attempts from deep. The Cavaliers showed grit by coming back multiple times and getting contributions from their bench players.
Horford's block leads to the D-White triple…. Boston's 22nd of the night!
Celtics go up 8 in the 4th on TNT ๐
— NBA (@NBA)
Bostonโs Key Plays
The Celtics remained resilient whenever Cleveland closed in on them. They made crucial plays at key moments like buzzer-beaters by Sam Hauser and Jayson Tatum at the end of quarters that kept them ahead.
Sam Hauser lays it in to beat the 1Q buzzer ๐จ
Celtics lead 26-20 after 1.
๐ East Group C action
๐ CLE-BOS on TNT— NBA (@NBA)
Final Moments
As defending champions, Boston wasn’t going to let another team stay unbeaten in such an important game for NBA Cup standings. However, Ty Jerome gave Cavs fans something positive by hitting a last-second shot to trim Bostonโs win margin down to three pointsโa small victory considering point differential counts in these tournaments!
