Today's Boston Celtics can be described as an unprecedentedly strong lineup, and the strength of the two-way combination is undoubted, although Brown is going through a bad season, after all, he still averages 22 points per game. Porzingis' individual performance is completely worthy of the reputation of a unicorn, and Holiday has once again refreshed people's perception of the contribution on the defensive end, as for Spurs veteran Derrick White, the perfect championship puzzle. Even the 37-year-old veteran Horford has no opponent who dares to take him lightly.
The record of first place in the East is the best evidence, the Celtics are ranked in the top seven in the league on both offensive and defensive ends, and it can be said that there are almost no shortcomings. In this game, they will face the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the backcourt combination of Mitchell and Garland did not play as expected, but it also made the team a presence to be reckoned with.
At the beginning of the first quarter of the game, the Cavaliers were dominated by the anti-guest, Mitchell scored 11 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Garland also had 6 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist, the two cores joined forces, the team scored 31 points in a single quarter, while the Celtics only scored 21 points, of which Brown scored 10 points and 1 rebound, and Tatum only had 4 points and 4 rebounds. After returning from the game in the second quarter, the Celtics gradually found their form, Tatum scored 13 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, White also had 11 points on 3-of-4 three-point shooting, and Brown had 6 points and 1 assist, and the team scored 38 points in a single quarter.
In the face of the gradually rising Celtics, the Cavaliers were a little overwhelmed, Garland had 5 points and 4 assists, Mitchell had 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist, and the team scored 29 points in a single quarter, and 60-59 at halftime was only 1 point ahead of the Celtics. In the second half, the Celtics continued to exert their strength, Porzingis scored 13 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists, Holiday also had 8 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal and 1 block, and the team scored 35 points in a single quarter, while the Cavaliers scored 32 points, including Garland 12 points, 1 assist and 1 steal on 5-of-6 shooting, and Mitchell also had 11 points and 1 rebound, but the Celtics still exceeded by 2 points.
In the final quarter of the game, the Cavaliers kept catching up, Mitchell hit a pull-up jumper to tie the score, Porzingis hit four consecutive free throws, and Tatum hit a three-pointer to stretch the difference to 7 points. The Cavaliers chased hard to no avail, and in the end, the Boston Celtics successfully defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 120-113 to continue to hold the first place in the East.
The Celtics won the game, the Big Three scored 71 points, Tatum got 25 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, Brown had 25 points, 2 rebounds and 4 assists, and Porzingis also had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. White also had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range, and Holiday also had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block on 4-of-7 shooting. I have to say that the Celtics' starting lineup, to some extent, has surpassed the Nuggets' starting lineup.
The Cavaliers did their best, Mitchell shot 11 of 22, 5 of 13 three-pointers, and got 29 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, Garland shot 11 of 23, 4 of 8 three-point shots, and also had 26 points, 2 rebounds and 7 assists, and the Cavaliers' backcourt combination combined to get 55 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists, but still couldn't lead the team to a victory. Strus shot 5-of-11 from three-point range, and also had 17 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Allen had 14 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and LeVert on the bench also had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.