In a highly anticipated matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA playoffs, the Celtics emerged victorious with a commanding 113-98 win. The game was a showcase of skill and determination from both teams, but it was ultimately the Celtics who proved to be the better team on this night.
Led by their star players Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, the Celtics put on a dominant performance that left the Cavaliers struggling to keep up. The crowd at TD Garden erupted in cheers as their team continued to extend their lead throughout the game.
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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