Boston Celtics Score Season-High 128 points, Control the Cavs, 128-95

The Boston Celtics blew out the Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-95, Friday at the TD Garden for their second win in a row.

As expected, the Celtics started the game with the two Marcuses — Smart and Morris–  on the floor. Al Horford was kept out of the lineup, for rest, and Aaron Baynes was inserted in his place.

For the second consecutive game, the Celtics rolled from start to finish, casting off the Cleveland Cavaliers, 128-95, for their highest-scoring game of the season.

Kyrie Irving led the way against his former team, scoring 29 points, while all five starters reached double digits in scoring. Newly-minted sixth man Gordon Hayward led the bench with 14 points, while Terry Rozier chipped in 10 points.

Jordan Clarkson scored 16 points to lead the Cavs, but he shot just 5-for-14 from the field. Cleveland shot just 39 percent from the field for the game.

The Celtics opened strong and jumped out to a 13-3 lead, lead primarily by Kyrie Irving and  Jayson Tatum.  The Celtics defense looked solid and forced a couple of turnovers, one of which led to a coast-to-coast layup by Tatum. But the Celtics missed a couple of long jumpers, and a couple of bunnies, and started trading buckets.

The Cavs scored eight straight points and cut the lead to two, before Kyrie got hot and hit two long threes. Kyrie also scored a layup on a great high-low feed from Theiss. By the end of the first, Kyrie had 13 points, his highest first quarter total of the year, and the Celtics led by four, 30 – 26.

Brad subbed in Guerschon Yabusele with just a little more than one minute to go in the quarter, and he stayed in until approximately the 6-minute mark in the second. Undoubtedly, his playing time was prompted by tomorrow night’s road game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Yabu did a few good things, including knocking down a three pointer, but the Celtics had some defensive breakdowns and, at one point, the Cavs went up three. Thankfully, Kyrie and Marcus Smart re-entered the game and picked up the defensive and offensive intensity and execution.

Irving knocked down a couple of shots and, after a steal, Smart went end-to-end for an easy layup. Kyrie made one of the best passes of the year – an underhanded feed to Baynes for another easy layup.

At the buzzer, Marcus Morris took a pass from Kyrie and knocked down a long three pointer from the wing. The Celtics closed the quarter on a 15 – 4 run and went into the half, leading 62 – 52.

The Celtics kept it rolling in the third, led again by Irving, with help from Marcus Smart and Morris. Morris got to the line on back-to-back possessions and then knocked down a three.

At the 7:02 mark, Marcus Smart hit nothing but net on a long three and the Celtics went up by twenty, 82 – 62. From there, the teams swapped baskets for a few possessions and the Celtics maintained their lead.

After a Gordon Hayward three, two easy layups by Kyrie, and an and one by Hayward, the Celtics pushed the lead to 25. Several Cavs bricks and a  Daniel Theis block later, Terry Rozier made a layup in transition and a long three and the Celtics closed the third quarter up 101- 72.

By the fourth quarter, the outcome was a virtual certainty, but it was an opportunity for some non-starters, including rookie Robert Williams, to get some extended minutes. The quarter was highlighted by a Semi Ojeleye baseline slam and a Williams alley-oop dunk.

Williams also had a nice block on the defensive end and Brad Wanamaker chipped in with a nice feed to Williams and a long three pointer. And let us not forget PJ Dozier, who slammed home two dunks in just a couple of minutes of play.

For the second game in a row, the Celtics set a season high in points. The Celtics were in the mood for a feast and the Cavs were the team which set the table and served the meal.