Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics score, highlights; Boston regains control of series

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Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics score, highlights; Boston regains control of series

Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sun, May 12, 2024 ·

12 min read

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CLEVELAND — The Cavs-Celtics series left Boston tied 1-1, but Cleveland wasn't able to protect home court in a 106-93 loss in Game 3 Saturday night.

The Celtics now hold a 2-1 series lead. Game 4 is set for Monday night in Cleveland

The Cavaliers responded in a big way to their blowout loss to the Celtics in Game 1 by crushing Boston in Game 2 . A 25-point loss was followed by a 24-point win in the first two games of the series, setting the stage for Game 3 Saturday night. But Donovan Mitchell had little help, and the Jayson Tatum -led Celtics were too much for Cleveland's defense.

In Boston, the Cavs continued their season-long trend of always seeming to play their best basketball right after hitting rock bottom in some way . They'll again be in a similar position now trailing in the series heading into Game 4.

Here's how the game unfolded:

Celtics forward Jayson Tatum drives against Cavaliers defenders Donovan Mitchell (45) and Isaac Okoro in the first quarter of Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 11, 2024, in Cleveland.

Celtics beat Cavs in Game 3 106-93; Stats from the game

Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum both finished with a game-high 33 points, but the former didn't have nearly as much help as the latter Saturday night.

The Cavs shot just 42 percent from the floor and 33 percent from 3-point range. Mitchell had a strong night, hitting 12-of-22 overall and 7-of-12 from 3-point range. But outside of him, the Cavs offense as largely ice cold. Caris LeVert did have a nice night off the bench, scoring 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Max Strus again struggled, hitting just two of his eight shot attempts.

After Tatum's 33, Jaylen Brown finished with 28 and Jrue Holiday contributed 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting.

The Celtics shot 51 percent from the floor and hit 13 3s.

Jayson Tatum jumper puts Celtics up 15 over Cavs with 2 minutes left

The Celtics are gonna take a 2-1 series lead.

Jayson Tatum hit a fadeaway baseline jumper with 2:30 left that extended the Boston lead to 104-89, which will just about act as the dagger for tonight's game. Tatum now has 31 points.

Celtics extend fourth quarter lead over Cavaliers to 98-84

The Cavs were one shot away from really cutting into the Boston lead, but they couldn't convert. They had the advantage down to nine or 10 points with possession of the ball multiple times, but several attempts from 3 didn't fall.

Boston has taken advantage and pushed their lead back out to 14 points with only 5:41 left in the fourth quarter.

Jayson Tatum has 29 and Jaylen Brown has 24, as they've both made just enough plays at opportune times to keep the Cavs from really taking a big enough bite into the Celtics lead.

Cavaliers open fourth quarter on 6-0 run to trim Celtics lead

That's exactly the start to the quarter that the Cavs needed.

Darius Garland opened the quarter with a layup and then added a nice pass to Evan Mobley , leading to an easy layup. The next time down the floor, Garland missed a layup but it was cleaned up by Mobley, who got the easy put-back to fall.

The Cavs have trimmed the Celtics lead to 84-75 with 10:29 to go.

Also of note: Donovan Mitchell played the entire third quarter and has also started the fourth quarter for the Cavs. He's already logged a game-high 34 minutes.

Celtics take 15-point lead into fourth quarter of Game 3 against Cavaliers

The Cavs have a mountain to climb in the fourth quarter.

Caris LeVert hit a second-chance 3 and was followed by a step-back 3 from Donovan Mitchell, but Jaylen Brown answered with a 3 of his own, and the Celtics are taking an 84-69 lead into the fourth quarter.

After a somewhat slow Games 1 and 2 for him, Jayson Tatum has woken up tonight and now has a team-high 27 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor to go with 12 rebounds and five assists.

Donovan Mitchell has a game-high 30 points and has shot 61 percent from the floor. But he hasn't gotten much help. Outside of Mitchell, the Cavs are shooting just 32 percent from the floor.

Evan Mobley returning late in third quarter

Mobley is checking back into the game with 2:26 left in the third quarter. He sat for roughly seven minutes of game clock.

The Cavs, down 14, are trying to chip away at the Boston lead before the end of the third quarter. When they were down 18 in Game 7 to the Magic, J.B. Bickerstaff it was a key milestone to cut it to 10, as that's a manageable number when trying to chip away at a lead.

Cleveland had it down to 12, but Dean Wade looked a bit late on a defensive rotation, leading to an easy layup.

Evan Mobley appears to hurt ankle in third quarter

Evan Mobley has left the game after appearing to injure his ankle, which he also seemed to roll in Game 6 against the Orlando Magic . Mobley was limping on that ankle again after landing awkwardly going for an offensive rebound early in the third quarter.

He has checked out of tonight's game and is being tended to by a trainer. During a timeout, Mobley was rocking back and forth while standing, seemingly to stretch out the ankle. He's also holding a resistance band.

Cavs, Celtics score: Boston opens up 20-point lead in Game 3

And right on cue, Derrick White and Jrue Holiday each hit 3-pointers, and the Celtics are now cruising up 71-48 with nine minutes to go in the third quarter.

The Cavs have come out of the locker room and walked into disaster. They've missed their first five shots of the third quarter, and the Celtics have come out red hot.

Boston's 3-point attack has returned to around their Game 1 levels, as they've hit 10-of-23 attempts thus far (43.5 percent).

Celtics open third quarter on 8-0 run to extend lead over Cavaliers

Stop if you're heard this one before: At the moment, the Cavs are struggling to find enough offense outside of Donovan Mitchell.

The Celtics have opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run, and the Cavs offense again looks a bit stagnant.

That run has opened up a 17-point lead, and the Cavs now have a ton of work to do to even get back withing striking distance of Boston.

Below are updates from the second quarter.

Cavs trail Celtics 57-48 at halftime

The Cavs trailed the Celtics 57-48 at halftime.

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 23 points in the first half. He shot 8 of 12 from the field (6 of 8 on 3-pointers). It was the fourth time this postseason Mitchell has scored 20 or more points in a half. He also became the third player in franchise history to make six or more 3-pointers in a half of a playoff game. Center Evan Mobley added 11 points and five rebounds for the Cavs.

But the Celtics did more damage as a team in the first half than the Cavs. Forward Jayson Tatum led Boston with 18 points and seven rebounds in the first half, followed by point guard Jrue Holiday with 15 points and forward Jaylen Brown with 13 points.

The Celtics shot 22 of 41 (53.7%) from the field (7 of 18 on 3-pointers) in the first half. The Cavs shot 17 of 44 (38.6%) from the floor (8 of 23 on 3-pointers).

The Celtics outrebounded the Cavs 23-18 in the first half. Boston had a 7-2 advantage in second-chance points and a 30-18 edge in points in the paint.

Celtics lead Cavs 47-40 with 5:02 left in the second quarter

The Celtics led 47-38 after a Brown basket with 5:58 left in the first half. The nine-point advantage was Boston's largest of the game thus far.

Point guard Darius Garland made a layup to cut the Cavs' deficit to 47-40, and the Celtics called timeout with 5;02 remaining.

Cavs trail Celtics 42-38 with 6:42 left in the second quarter

The Cavs were behind 42-38 with 6:42 remaining in the second quarter.

Mitchell is keeping the Cavs in this game. He has made both of his 3-pointers in the second quarter thus far.

Below are updates from the first quarter.

Cavs trail Celtics 30-28 at the end of the first quarter

The Cavs trailed the Celtics 30-28 at the end of the first quarter.

Tatum led all scorers with 12 points in the first quarter. His final basket of the opening quarter came with 30 seconds left on a transition layup after he stole an ill-advised pass by Garland.

Mitchell countered with a jump shot with 12 seconds left. Mitchell led the Cavs with 11 points in the first quarter.

The Cavs shot 9 of 20 (45%) from the field (5 of 12 on 3-pointers) in the opening quarter. The Celtics shot 12 of 22 (54.5%) from the floor (5 of 11 on 3-pointers).

The Celtics had a 10-9 advantage in rebounding.

Dean Wade gives Cavs 3-pointer upon returning, but Celtics lead 22-18 with 3:08 left in the first quarter

Backup power forward Dean Wade checked into the game with 4:18 left in the first quarter and made his first shot, a 3-pointer with 3:54 remaining. Wade had not played since March 8. He had been dealing with a sprained knee.

Wade's 3 gave the Cavs an 18-17 edge, but Cleveland used a timeout after back-to-back Boston buckets (a 3 by forward Sam Hauser and a field goal in the paint by forward Jayson Tatum) gave the Celtics a 22-18 advantage.

Celtics lead Cavs 12-11 roughly midway through the first quarter

The Cavs trailed the Celtics 12-11 with 6:32 left in the first quarter.

All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell started the game 2-of-3 shooting from 3-point range to give the Cavs an early boost. But the Celtics received the same production, plus another field goal, from Tatum, who had eight points at this juncture.

During the timeout with 6:32 remaining, the Cavs played a Cleveland sports video hype video on their main scoreboard narrated by Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett, who owns a minority stake in the Cavaliers.

Below is some pregame information.

Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell drives the ball against Celtics center Al Horford in the second quarter during Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals, May 9, 2024, in Boston.

Cavs depth chart likely to adjust with Dean Wade's return for Game 3 against Boston Celtics

The Cavaliers will again have Dean Wade available, and while it's unclear how many minutes he'll see in Game 3, there will be at some shift in the Cavs' rotations.

Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff noted pregame that when Wade is available, the Cavs will still need to be mindful that they're throwing him right into a playoff series after not seeing the floor in quite some time.

Wade's presence, along with Georges Niang 's recent play, could lead to the latter seeing fewer minutes than he did in Game 2 in Boston, when he often looked out of sorts. Wade's size and ability to guard multiple positions offers the Cavs more flexibility, something that is especially needed with Jarrett Allen still out with a ribs injury.

The Cavs will also have some flexibility with how they deploy Tristan Thompson and Marcus Morris Sr., though Thompson, especially, played a key role in their Game 2 win after Evan Mobley had to sit with foul trouble in the third quarter.

Cavs vs. Celtics predictions, betting odds for Game 3

For strictly entertainment purposes, the Cavaliers enter Game 3 as 7.5-point home underdogs against the Celtics. They were underdogs of at least 11.5 points in both Games 1 and 2 in Boston. Game 3 has an over-under point total of 210.5. Both of our Cavs writer, Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, see the Celtics bouncing back to win Saturday. Read more here on why they see Boston going up 2-1 in the series.

What time do the Cavs play today?

Game 3 tips off at 8:30 p.m. Saturday night in Cleveland.

Cavs injury report today: Jarrett Allen will not play in Game 3 vs. Celtics? Dean Wade is available to return

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen will sit out Game 3, the Cavs announced about an hour before tipoff. He will miss his sixth consecutive playoff game with a rib injury that has made it difficult for him to raise his arms above his head in a manner he'd need to play. Allen had been listed as questionable entering Saturday.

Dean Wade, who has fought back from a sprained knee, is available to play in Game 3, the Cavs announced. Wade had also been listed as questionable after missing more than two months.

During J.B. Bickerstaff's pregame media availability, the coach said "we'll see" whether Allen or Wade can face the Celtics.

Minutes later, Wade warmed up on the court. Wade hasn't played since March 8. He has missed the last 28 games, including nine in the playoffs.

Cavs starting lineup tonight in Game 3 vs. Celtics

The Cavs announced they will start the following players against the Celtics:

point guard Darius Garland
shooting guard Donovan Mitchell
small forward Max Strus
power forward Isaac Okoro
center Evan Mobley

Celtics starting lineup tonight in Game 3 vs. Cavs

The Celtics announced they will start the following players against the Cavs:

point guard Jrue Holiday
shooting guard Derrick White
small forward Jaylen Brown
power forward Jayson Tatum
center Al Horford

How can I watch, stream or listen to Cavaliers vs. Boston Celtics Game 2?

Saturday night's Game 3 will be televised nationally by ABC. It will be broadcast locally on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).

When is Cavaliers-Celtics Game 4?

Game 4 between the Cavs and Celtics is set for 7 p.m. Monday night in Cleveland. The series will then return to Boston for Game 5 at TD Garden at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Cavaliers score vs. Celtics live updates Game 3 NBA playoffs

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