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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 2 recap; Cavs even series 1-1 with blowout win
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- Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 2 recap; Cavs even series 1-1 with blowout win
BOSTON — The Cavaliers had 48 hours to dissect the film from their 25-point blowout loss in Game 1, and they put it to good use. They dismantled the top-seeded Boston Celtics 118-94 in Game 2 at the TD Garden on Thursday night.
The series is now tied 1-1 and heading back to Cleveland for Saturday night's Game 3.
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The Celtics' offensive barrage overwhelmed the Cavs defense in Game 1 , as Boston poured in 18 3-pointers and 120 points in a game that was over well before the final whistle was blown. That trend was reversed in Game 2, as the Celtics hit only eight of 35 3-point attempts.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) reacts after a first-quarter basket by forward Evan Mobley against the Celtics in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals May 9 in Boston.
Donovan Mitchell , Evan Mobley and the Cavs were able to steal a game in Boston for their first road playoff win under J.B. Bickerstaff. It was also the first road game during these playoffs in which the Cavs reached 100 points.
Here is how the game unfolded.
Cavaliers win Game 2 118-94 over Celtics; Cavs, Donovan Mitchell stats from Game 2
The Cavs cruised to a 24-point win two nights after their 25-point loss in Game 1.
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Donovan Mitchell finished with 29 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Evan Mobley ended the night with 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, two blocks and a steal in what might have been his best game as a Cavalier considering the stage.
Caris LeVert contributed 21 points off the bench. The Cavs shot 54 percent from the floor and 46 percent from 3-point range.
The Celtics were ice cold from 3-point range, shooting just 22 percent from behind the arc.
Cavaliers guard Caris LeVert shoots against Celtics guard Derrick White in the first quarter during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 9, 2024, in Boston.
Cavaliers open up 20-point lead against Celtics in Game 2
The Cavs have a 20-point lead over the No. 1 seed in the East, and a few boos have started to rain down at TD Garden.
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Caris LeVert has been a big contributor with 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Max Strus also just hit a corner 3, something the Cavs have been seeking.
With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Celtics are calling off the dogs and taking out their starters as fans head for the exits. The series is going to be tied 1-1.
Donovan Mitchell dominating fourth quarter, Cavaliers extend sizeable lead in the fourth quarter over Celtics
Donovan Mitchell has 23 points over the last 15 minutes of game time and is walking with a Jose Ramirez-like swagger at the moment. He has 29 points overall on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor.
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After being dismantled in Game 1, the Cavs have punched back in a big way and are up 99-83 with 9:25 left.
Much of the Cavs' defensive focus was on limiting the Celtics' 3-point shooting. After Boston hit 18 3s in Game 1, they've sank just 7 of 29 attempts tonight.
Donovan Mitchell hits the Michael Jordan shrug after banking in a 3
Donovan Mitchell put up a 3 on which he had to adjust in mid-air, and somehow banked it in. He gave the Jordan shrug as he backpedaled down the floor. It still counts.
The Cavs are up 95-83 with 10:30 left.
Below are updates from the third quarter.
Donovan Mitchell has 16-point third quarter; Cavaliers lead 90-78 entering fourth quarter
There's Donovan Mitchell.
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Mitchell scored 16 points in the third quarter alone, including a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, to give the Cavs a 90-78 lead entering the fourth quarter. And Mitchell turned to the crowd to talk some smack after that one.
Mitchell taking over when he did was crucial with Evan Mobley needing to sit with his fourth foul.
Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris Sr. also played key roles during the stretch at the end of the third quarter. With Mobley on the bench, Thompson, especially, terrorized the Celtics, who suddenly couldn't grab a defensive rebound. A stretch that could have closed the gap led to the Cavs maintaining a double-digit lead.
Caris LeVert has also contributed 14 points thus far.
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Darius Garland remains in the game, hits another, Cavs up 11; Evan Mobley commits fourth foul
Darius Garland seems to be fine. He just hit another 3 and hopped up and down a few times, as the Cavs now have their first double-digit lead of the game, 77-66.
But at the other end of the floor, Evan Mobley just committed his fourth foul and will need to come out of the game with five minutes left in the third quarter.
Cavaliers have largest lead of the night over Celtics in third quarter
The Celtics are just 6-of-22 from 3-point range, and an Isaac Okoro bucket just extended the Cavs' lead to 74-65, their biggest of the night.
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Donovan Mitchell now has 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Darius Garland is up to 11 points. Isaac Okoro has a somewhat quiet 12 points as well.
Evan Mobley has a team-high 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists, along with two blocks and a steal.
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum has a game-high 21 points. Jaylen Brown has 13.
It has been a much quieter TD Garden crowd tonight, for the most part.
Darius Garland injured, but stays in the game and hits a 3; Cavs lead 70-63
Darius Garland grimaced in obvious pain and then badly limped down the floor after grabbing a rebound and landing awkwardly. But he stayed in the game, and while he was still limping, Garland drained a 3-pointer. Donovan Mitchell then followed with his own 3, and the Cavs have opened up a 70-63 lead.
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Garland is remaining in the game and playing through it, but he's in obvious discomfort with a leg injury of some sort.
Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland hit 3s; Cavs take 62-57 lead over Celtics in third quarter
Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland each immediately hit 3s after halftime, and the Cavs have jumped out to a 62-57 lead with 9:54 left in the third quarter.
If the Cavs can have every part of an inside-out offense working between Mobley, Mitchell and Garland, they'd be at their best at the right time.
Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell passes the ball as Celtics guards Jaylen Brown (7) and Derrick White (9) defend in the first quarter during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 9, 2024, in Boston.
Below are updates from the second quarter.
Cavaliers, Celtics tied at halftime of Game 2
The Cavs and Celtics will enter the locker rooms tied 54-54 at halftime.
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Isaac Okoro came away with a steal and was fouled with 2 seconds left. He hit one of two free throws to tie it.
Evan Mobley has a team-high 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists in what was one of his best halves of basketball with the Cavs, and it came in a big moment.
Donovan Mitchell has just six points, which is perhaps an encouraging sign for the Cavs that they're tied with Boston without Mitchell contributing much yet. Mitchell does have five assists and four rebounds.
It was another quiet half for Darius Garland, who has just five points. He's 2-of-4 from the floor, but it includes a wide open missed 3.
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The Cavs are gonna need more than 11 combined points from their starting backcourt in the second half.
After hitting 18 3s in Game 1, the Celtics have only 6 3s thus far tonight on 35-percent shooting from behind the arc.
Cavs, Celtics score: Boston takes 42-37 lead early in second quarter
TD Garden has gotten much louder, and the Celtics have taken a 42-37 lead.
Georges Niang just looks out of place at this point. He has two points and two rebounds. He also has committed two fouls, he's committed two virtual turnovers (didn't get a shot off at the buzzer and then later missed a layup over Payton Pritchard , who is 6-foot-1, leading to a jump ball that Niang hit out of bounds).
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And as that was being typed, the still-6-foot-1 Pritchard grabbed an offensive rebound over Niang for a put-back bucket, extending the Celtics lead to 42-37.
Also of note: Donovan Mitchell is still stuck on two points scored tonight, though he does already have four assists.
Here are some updates from the first quarter.
Evan Mobley dominates first quarter; Cavs up over Celtics 30-24 at the end of the first quarter
Evan Mobley has taken over the first quarter of this game.
Mobley has 11 points, three rebounds and four assists at the end of the first quarter, including a 3-pointer that had Donovan Mitchell fist-pumping as they ran back down the court.
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The Celtics offense isn't hitting some open shots as they were in Game 1, and the Cavs have a 30-24 lead heading into the second quarter.
Nobody would have guessed the Cavs would hold a six-point lead with Donovan Mitchell scoring only two points, but that quarter was all about Mobley, who played with type of aggressiveness for which the Cavs have been looking.
Georges Niang is getting some minutes after largely being benched recently. He hasn't done much with them. Niang was given the in-bounds pass with a few seconds left in the quarter and never came close to getting a shot off.
Evan Mobley has Cavs leading Celtics in first quarter of Game 2
The Cavaliers offense is running through Evan Mobley right now.
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Mobley is dominating the paint at the moment and has a game-high eight points and three assists. The Cavs have fed him the ball near the rim, and the last few possessions have ended with either a Mobley dunk or an assist to someone else.
The Cavs now have a 23-21 lead with 2:30 left in the first quarter.
Cavs counter with 8-2 run to close the gap
And just like Game 1, after an ugly start, the Cavs have battled back in the first quarter.
Led by Evan Mobley, who has four points, an assist and a steal during this run by the Cavs, Cleveland has cut the Boston lead to 16-13.
Its been an oddly similar script as Game 1. The Cavs hope that doesn't continue, as during Game 1, it was just after their first-quarter run that the Celtics overpowered them for the rest of the night.
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Celtics open Game 2 on 14-5 run against Cavaliers
Game 2 has looked a lot like Game 1 in the first few minutes.
Derrick White just buried a 3-pointer — he had seven 3s in Game 1 — and the Celtics are already on the verge of building a double-digit lead.
Evan Mobley was given the ball in the paint with Derrick White on him, giving Mobley a sizeable physical advantage, but he passed out of it to Isaac Okoro, who stepped out of bounds. The next time down the floor, Donovan Mitchell air-balled a 3.
This has been an ugly start for the Cavs.
Below is some pregame information.
Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell drives to the basket against Derrick White of the Celtics during the third quarter in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 7, 2024, in Boston.
Here's how the Cavs can get Max Strus more corner 3 looks against Boston Celtics
Max Strus has had a slower playoff stretch, especially for a shooter with his ability to hit corner 3s at such a high rate.
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The Cavs would love to find him more of those looks, but they also know the Celtics are hellbent on not allowing them.
"It's the ball movement, right?" said Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff before Game 2 at TD Garden. "And once the ball moves through rotations, the corner is the one that typically ends up being the last play or the last pass that's being made. So we need to create more rotations starting with driving situations or triggers where we catch the ball in the middle of the floor, those types of things, and then the ball movement happens when you can get your feet set."
"But I also think you're aware of that, other people are aware of that too, and they're trying to do their best to not allow him to get those corner 3s."
Donovan Mitchell, Cavaliers hope to make Celtics more 'uncomfortable' in Game 2
Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff noted before Game 1 that they needed to beat the Celtics to their spots rather than simply allowing their ball movement and rotations to unfold within the offense. After the Cavs' 120-95 Game 1 loss, Donovan Mitchell echoed that sentiment.
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One of the Cavs' goals tonight is to knock the Celtics off their intended course as much as possible.
"Making their shots a little bit tougher," Mitchell said at Thursday morning's shoot around at TD Garden. "I felt they were a little comfortable."
Speaking of being comfortable, an odd note on the Cavs' last two days of practices: As they prepare for Game 2, they've seemingly practiced in different climates. Wednesday's shootaround was held at Emerson College in a gym that was a bit toasty, to say the least. Thursday morning, at TD Garden, it was more than a little cold in the arena (which can happen in arenas that also house hockey teams).
Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 2 predictions and betting odds
For strictly entertainment purposes, the Cavaliers enter Game 2 as 13.5-point underdogs against the Celtics, according to ESPN. The game has an over-under point total of 211.5.
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And here are predictions for Game 2's outcome from Beacon Journal writers Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, who are 8-0 picking Cavs games in the playoffs.
How can I watch, stream or listen to Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 2?
Thursday night's Game 2 will be broadcast nationally on ESPN. It will be broadcast locally on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
Jarrett Allen injury update — is he playing tonight against the Celtics in Game 2?
The Cavs' center is again out for Thursday night's Game 2 in Boston.
Allen has now missed the last five playoff games with a ribs injury. He has tried to return to the court, but issues with raising his arms above his head have remained, and the Cavs must weigh him re-joining the starting lineup against how effective he can be.
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Isaac Okoro has been in the starting lineup in Allen's place, pushing Evan Mobley to center.
When is Cavaliers-Celtics Game 3?
Game 3 between the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics will have an 8:30 p.m. tip-off time Saturday night in Cleveland. Game 4, also at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, will begin at 7:00 p.m. Monday night.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers Boston Celtics score update Game 2 NBA playoffs
