Nov 5, 2019; Cleveland, OH, USA; Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward (20) drives against Cleveland Cavaliers guard Brandon Knight (20) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. (David Richard/USA TODAY Sports)
By Ty Anderson, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Gordon Hayward Show came to Cleveland on Tuesday night, as Hayward dropped 39 points behind a near-perfect 17-for-20 shooting night to push the Celtics to a 119-113 over the Cavaliers.
Hayward’s scorching hot night began off the jump, really, as Hayward dropped a quarter-best 16 points in the opening 12 minutes of play behind a 7-for-7 start, and No. 20 finished the half with 22 points on a 9-for-9 start.
The second half came with a cooldown of sorts for Hayward, as he totaled all of three of his misses in an 8:06 third quarter, but that didn’t stop Hayward from leading all C’s shooters with eight points (and four assists) in the frame.
⏪ @gordonhayward dropped 39pt on the Cavs. Here are all his shots from the game pic.twitter.com/x15DE7uJva
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 6, 2019
The 39-point effort tied a career-best for Hayward, originally set with the Jazz in a Apr. 7, 2017 win against the T’Wolves. And the 17 field goals were the most Hayward’s dropped in any game in his 595-game NBA career.
Though his night was certainly lost in the shuffle due to Hayward’s big night, Kemba Walker also had himself a night at the office, with a 25-point night sparked by conversions on six of his eight attempts from three-point land.
Kemba hits a three before the shot clock expires -
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) November 6, 2019
Check out tonight's "Drain of the Game" presented by John’s Sewer & Drain Cleaning ???? pic.twitter.com/ILwtLfvoJK
On the Cleveland side, Collin Sexton paced the Cavs with 21 points behind a 6-for-15 night from the floor.
Boston wing Jaylen Brown missed this contest due to an infection, while Enes Kanter was active but did not play, making it five straight DNPs for the Turkish center due to a knee contusion.
The Celtics will travel to Charlotte for a Thursday night head-to-head with Terry Rozier and the Hornets.