3 Studs, 3 duds from Celtics tough 115-111 loss to Cavaliers

The Boston Celtics continued their brief tour of the Midwest on Sunday night, as they had a date with the Cleveland Cavaliers. This was more than just an ordinary game, though. This was a battle for the top of the East, as the Cavs entered the contest with a 0.5-game lead over Boston for the one seed.

Less than two weeks prior to Sunday night, the Celtics spoiled the Cavaliers’ undefeated season, handing them their first loss of the year. After a hot start for Cleveland on Sunday, Boston’s monster third quarter put them back in the driver’s seat. despite being without Jaylen Brown and Derrick White. However, a late-game surge from Donovan Mitchell put the Cavs back on top, earning them a 115-111 victory over the Celtics.

Here are three studs and three duds from the Celtics’ loss to the Cavs on Sunday night.

Stud - Sam Hauser

Considering it wasn’t an amazing shooting night for Sam Hauser, this was about as good of a game as he could play. Though the threes weren’t going down at a high rate, especially in the first half, he was doing everything else.

Hauser’s rebounding is one of the most impressive skills on the Celtics, and nobody talks about it. He’s elite at crashing from the corners and is constantly making an effort on the glass.

His defense is solid, too, though the Cavs did their best to attack him when they could. Hauser was even making more plays than usual for his teammates on Sunday because of Boston’s lack of depth.

Dud - Jayson Tatum’s first half

On a night with no Brown or White, the Celtics needed Jayson Tatum to play a huge role against the Cavs. And while he was certainly the center of attention, he wasn’t quite as impressive as Boston needed him to be.

Tatum’s shot selection left something to be desired, as he seemed to be settling for jump shots—whether they were threes or mid-range jumpers. And when he didn’t get the calls he wanted, the Celtics superstar was moping around far too much.

At one point in the first half, his slow walk back after a non-call cost the Celtics a three, as Darius Garland splashed on in transition.

It just wasn’t the first half the Celtics needed from Tatum.

Stud - Payton Pritchard

Payton Pritchard was huge for the Celtics in the fourth quarter, especially after how much he struggled through the first three. He deserved a spot on this list, but there are only so many studs to go around.

From his scoring in the paint all the way down to the three he hit with under 20 seconds left, Pritchard was incredible in the fourth quarter and gave Boston a huge offensive boost when they needed it most, especially while Tatum was on the bench.

Even when it was time to play the free throw game, Pritchard was there with a steady hand. He was the best player on the floor for Boston in the final frame.

Dud - Containing Donovan Mitchell

Mitchell completely took over down the stretch of this game, turning it into a game Boston should have one into the Celtics playing the free-throw game just trying to get back into it.

A few small decisions allowed him to get open a few too many times, and by the time he had a rhythm from deep, it was over. He drained three after three after three, propelling the Cavs back into the game. And when he wasn't making a shot, he was drawing in the defense and setting up his teammate for a dunk.

Boston just wasn't able to slow down his momentum once he got going, and that was that.

Stud - Jayson Tatum’s third quarter

All of the problems Tatum had in the first half were wiped away in the third. Boston entered the second half down by two, but by the time the fourth rolled around, they were up by 12. And Tatum led the way.

Tatum exploded in the third quarter, scoring 17 points to go along with five rebounds and two assists. But it was the way he got his points that was most impressive.

The Celtics superstar relentlessly attacked Garland, opening up a ton of opportunities for Boston and exposing the Cavs’ biggest defensive weakness.

He was draining threes, hitting his mid-range shot, and getting whatever he wanted for the entire third quarter. Tatum completely flipped this game on its head.

Dud - Jrue Holiday

Early in the game, the Celtics looked to Jrue Holiday to help pick up the offense. Unfortunately, he wasn’t quite what they were looking for, and he struggled a bit to score.

Holiday’s threes weren’t going down, and whenever he got inside, he wasn’t able to capitalize. Outside of a nice post-up mixed in there, he was ice-cold in the scoring department.

As per usual, Holiday played solid defense, was a decent playmaker, and had a few hustle plays, but he just didn’t give Boston the scoring punch they may have wanted with some other guys sidelined.