Celtics beat Cavaliers 113-98

The Boston Celtics secured a decisive victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers with a final score of 113-98. The Celtics displayed their dominance on both ends of the court, outscoring the Cavaliers in every quarter and holding them to just 98 points. Jayson Tatum led the charge for Boston, scoring a game-high 32 points and showcasing his offensive prowess. The Celtics' defense was also instrumental in their victory, as they forced numerous turnovers and limited the Cavaliers' scoring opportunities.

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is expected to miss Game 5 of the Cavs' Eastern Conference semifinals series against the Boston Celtics with a left calf strain, The Athletic's Shams Charania and Joe Vardon reported Wednesday.

Mitchell also missed Game 4 in Cleveland, a narrow 109-102 Celtics victory that gave Boston a 3-1 series lead with the chance to end the Cavs' season Wednesday night.

Mitchell's absence is a huge blow for Cleveland; he ranks seventh among all players in postseason scoring (29.6 points per game) and is averaging 31.7 points per game in this series, including a 29-point effort in Cleveland's Game 2 victory.

LeVert took Mitchell's spot in Cleveland's starting five and scored 19 points in his 39 minutes during Game 4. But now he's questionable for Game 5 with a bone bruise in his left knee.

The odds are obviously stacked against Cleveland, with the Celtics only missing Kristaps Porzingis as he recovers from the right soleus strain that he suffered against the Miami Heat in the first round. But for much of Monday's win, it looked like the Celtics were playing down to their undermanned opponent. The desperate Cavaliers gave them all they had, and erased a 15-point Boston lead in the fourth quarter before the Celtics got their act together in the final minutes.

Cleveland started the second quarter by connecting on 4 of 5 attempts from beyond the arc to nudge ahead 46-40. The Cavs also got solid minutes off the bench from Morris, who scored 14 points in his first 12 minutes of action.

But Boston rallied and closed with an 18-6 run to take a 58-52 lead into halftime. 

In Mitchell's absence, the Cavaliers leaned on the young Evan Mobley, who posted 31 points on 14-of-23 shooting with seven rebounds and four assists. Marcus Morris, acquired basically for free at midseason, was also huge, posting 25 points off the bench on 10-of-13 shooting.

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Sarah H

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