1. Celtics Clamp Cavs
Over their last 15 games, the Cavaliers were the number 1 offense in the NBA while the Celtics were the number 1 defense — a real clash of the titans matchup where only one could prevail, and this match went to Boston. The Celtics held the Cavaliers to 98 points which is tied for second on the least amount of points that Cleveland has scored this season.
In this first half, Boston held Cleveland to 36 points on 13-45 (29%) from the field and 2-22 (9%) from three. The Cavs would have a hot shooting
fourth quarter to boost their numbers up a bit, but they still finished at 35-86 (41%) from the field and 13-45 (29%) from three. Boston also forced 7 turnovers with 13 points coming off those turnovers.
When the Cavs are missing their three pointers they are a very beatable basketball team and the Celtics were able to take advantage of it in this game.
2. Jaylen Brown Big Second Half
Jaylen Brown continued his MVP level season against the Cavs, finishing with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists on 7-17 shooting. Brown started the game a little slow shooting but was able to get his way to the free throw line in the first half.
However, once the third quarter hit, he started to go off with 9 of his 23 points coming in this quarter alone. Brown dominated the midrange in this quarter, getting to his spots and just rising up over everybody. In the fourth quarter he was quiet but made a great play to get an And-1 layup on Keon Ellis.
Brown’s passing was also elite in this game. His 8:1 assist to turnover ratio was huge for Boston in this game. He would routinely attract two Cavs defenders and kick out to the wide open shooter. His best pass came in his big second half, when he found Scheierman on the opposite corner for three.
3. Jayson Tatum Second Game Back
It has been officially 300 Days since Jayson Tatum tore his Achilles and this matchup against the Cavs was his second game of the 2025-26 season. In 27 minutes, he finished with 20 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 6-16 shooting from the field, 2-9 from three, and 6-7 at the free throw line. This was a higher scoring game for Tatum than his debut but his was due to his ability to get to the free throw line that wasn’t showcased a ton against the Mavericks.
Tatum started the game on fire in the first quarter with 12 points on 4-6 shooting. After the Cavs started the game on an 11-3 run, Tatum was able to respond in a huge way with his shot starting to fall and his ability to overpower the defense like in the past.
Tatum would then miss his next 7 shots after his hot start but that didn’t dispel him from shooting in the fourth quarter. He made two huge baskets for the Celtics including the dagger three to give Boston the win.
Postgame, Tatum said that “today felt a lot more normal” when it came to playing his second game of the season after all of the fan fair in his debut. He also confirmed that there is a minutes restriction, most likely of 27 minutes based on that being what he played the last two games. Describing this restriction he said, “Toughest part for me is being on a minutes restriction. That s**t sucks quite frankly…Obviously, I understand the bigger picture.”
3. His Name is Baylor Scheierman
At halftime, the NBA on TNT crew that is now on ESPN were talking about the Cavs not getting back on defense. When they went to get Shaquille O’Neal’s commentary, he said that he had no idea who Baylor Scheierman was when the highlight showed a dunk from him.
In response to this disrespect, Scheierman decided to have one of the best games of his season against the Cavs, finishing with a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds on 6-8 shooting from the field and 4-6 shooting from three. He had 9 of these points after Shaq’s comments, showing exactly who he is as a player.
The first half saw Kareem sky hooks and fast-break dunks but the second half saw Scheierman become a flame thrower from beyond the arc while the Celtics were mounting their biggest lead of the game.
A perfect microcausum of what makes Scheierman great was this play in the third quarter when Boston was on a 19-5 run. After Pritchard missed a three, Baylor was fighting for position under the basket and was able to knock out the rebound to give Boston another possession that ended in a Hauser three. This is what makes Baylor Scheierman such a winning player and why he is so huge for this Celtics team.
4. Payton Pritchard 4th Quarter
This is the second game in a row where we got a great Payton Pritchard game after a couple random 0 point performances. Pritchard finished with 18 points and 7 assists on 7-12 shooting from the field against the Cavs in this game where 9 of his points came in the fourth quarter.
His 3-3 shooting in the fourth quarter was huge for Boston because Cleveland was able to cut the lead to 8 points late in the game. Pritchard did a great job of using his dribble moves to create open shots for himself and stymie the momentum that the Cavs were trying to build.
5. Derrick White is Top 5
Before the game, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson said that Derrick White is a top-five player in the NBA right now. Some people might disagree but if you watch the game, White is one of the most impactful players in the NBA every single night.
White only finished with 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists on 2-9 shooting but it felt like every time he was on the floor, the Celtics would go on a run. He was playing a huge role leading the bench unit in for multiple stretches when both Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were out. You can also tell that he missed playing with Jayson Tatum a lot due to the fact that he threw down his third dunk in two games which is more than I ever remember seeing this season.
If you only look at the box score you might not see it, but I agree with Kenny Atkinson: Derrick White is a Top 5 player in the NBA.
6. Sam Hauser Big Game
Sam Hauser was absolutely critical for the Celtics in this game, finishing with 15 points on 5-10 shooting from three. His ability to knock down a big three when Boston needed it most was apparent throughout this game. He was also a big proponent of Boston’s third quarter run that pushed their lead up to at most 26 points.
Hauser is one of the most dangerous players in the league because when his shot is falling, games can get out of hand in a hurry.
8. Celtics Three Point Shooting
I talked about the Cavs shooting only 29% from three in this game as a reason why they lost this game, but Boston’s ability to shoot the three ball was another reason. The Celtics shot 15-38 (40%) from three in Cleveland. These threes came at big moments of the game when Boston jumped out to a 26 point lead but also came up clutch in the fourth quarter when the Cavs were trying to make a comeback.
The three pointer is really the great equalizer in the NBA and watching the Celtics this season has shown this theory to be true.
9. Survived Donovan Mitchell Explosion
Donovan Mitchell has a long and detailed history of going nuclear against the Celtics during his career and most of it coming in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform. Mitchell averages 29.5 points per game against the Celtics in his career which is third in NBA history against Boston, only behind Michael Jordan (30.7) and Luka Doncic (29.8).
So when he had 21 points on 5-12 shooting and Boston held an 86-69 lead going into the fourth quarter, Celtics fans were probably feeling good. Little did we know that Mitchell would start to go off in the quarter, scoring 9 points on 3-6 shooting. This helped the Cavs cut the Celtics lead down to 8 points with 5:01 left in the game. Luckily, Boston was able to hold on but I can’t lie, a small part of me was scared we were going to get another insane Donovan Mitchell comeback.
10. Bring Out the Brooms
For the first time since the 2019-20 season, the Boston Celtics swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in their season series after Boston won this matchup 109-98. Even though Cleveland added James Harden for Darius Garland since their last matchup, Boston added a weapon of their own named Jayson Tatum.
On the season, the Cavs are averaging 118.8 points on 48% shooting from the field and 36% from three. In their three games versus Boston, Cleveland has only averaged 106 points on 42% shooting from the field and 34% shooting from beyond the arc.
History has shown us in the past that sweeping the season series of a team means nothing once the playoffs come around but this season so far, Boston seems to have Cleveland’s number.
