After their comeback win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday night, the Boston Celtics traveled to the Midwest for a thrilling contest against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. A battle between the two top teams in the Eastern Conference started with an ugly offensive showing but slowly picked up as the game went on.
Boston’s defensive pressure was as good as its been all season as they looked to shut down Cleveland’s lineup, highlighted by three All-Stars in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley. Mitchell did his best to lead a comeback, but the Celtics’ early lead was too much to overcome. Boston walked out of Cleveland with a 112-105 win that put them up 2-1 in the season series.
Here are three studs and three duds from the game.
Stud - Al Horford
When this game started, it looked like Al Horford could be in for a rough evening. He missed some wide-open threes the Celtics needed him to make.
But as he settled in, he turned things around. And in a big way.
Cleveland decided to leave Horford with space to shoot behind the three-point line, and he made them pay. And once the threes started falling, the rest of Horford’s game opened up, too.
He positioned himself well under the hoop for layups and offensive rebounds, and his defensive presence was crucial as well. The way he moves his feet would have most people believing that he’s still in his 20s.
Dud - Kristaps Porzingis
For the past month, Kristaps Porzingis has been on a heater. But he came crashing back down to earth on Tuesday night.
Though Porzingis’ presence on the defensive end was crucial, as he acted as an elite rim protector, his offense completely eluded him. And Boston could have used his production.
Porzingis was getting many of the same looks that he’s been getting for the past few weeks. He was taking advantage of mismatches and finding space behind the three-point line. The shots just weren’t falling.
Stud - Bench
Horford led the way, but the rest of the Celtics' bench was absolutely incredible, too, on Tuesday night. They spearheaded Boston's surge forward in the first half.
Payton Pritchard came in and hit some big shots during his minutes, and his activity as a rebounder and facilitator stood out, too. Sam Hauser didn't play nearly as much, but he was solid.
Then, there was Luke Kornet, who did his job to perfection in his limited minutes. Kornet's offensive rebounding and passing out of the short roll were essential to Boston's success. He continues to be one of the most underrated guys on this roster.
Dud - Jrue Holiday
Some of Jrue Holiday’s defensive moments were great, but his offense continues to be a complete inconsistency this season.
Highlighted by a brutally-blown layup, Holiday was a non-factor on the offensive end in Cleveland. He couldn’t find a rhythm from anywhere on the floor, and there were even a couple of instances where the Cavs left him with space.
It’s been a down year for Holiday, and that trend continued on Tuesday.
Stud - Defense
This may have been the Celtics’ best defensive game of the season. At the very least, it was one of them because they completely stifled the Cavs’ offense, which has been one of the best in the NBA all season.
Usually, Boston’s defense is highlighted by lots of pressure without all the turnovers. But they forced the Cavs to cough up the ball a lot on Tuesday night.
Not only were the Celtics reading the Cavaliers’ offensive choices before they occurred, but they also did an awesome job of putting pressure in the right spots.
Boston did everything they could to take the Cavs out of rhythm, and it worked. The Cavs made some runs, but that's to be expected from a team as talented as they are. The point is, Boston did its job at a very high level.
That said, Mitchell still did Mitchell things at the end of this game...
Dud - Shot-making
Porzingis and Holiday weren’t the only ones who struggled to hit their shots against the Cavs. Everybody did. For both teams.
The opening to this game was one of the ugliest displays of offense all year. Both sides played great defense, yes, but they also missed a bunch of looks they should have made.
Tatum struggled to find his shot early on, Brown barely looked at the three-point line, and the entirety of Boston’s starting lineup was inefficient from three.
If it weren’t for Horford and Payton Pritchard off the pine, this could have been an even rougher offensive game for Boston.
Bonus stud - Derrick White
Talk about a takeover. Derrick White was absolutely incredible to end this game, and he played a big role throughout the night, too. His shot-making solidified this win for the Celtics, and the Cavs just had to sit and watch as he buried them.
The threes he hit in the fourth quarter were tough, but he still managed to make them. He was creating for himself in actions, his defense was essential, and he always found a way to get open off the ball.
White was everything the Celtics needed (and more) on Tuesday night.