Celtics strike early and hold off Cavs for 2nd straight win
The C’s pulled away in the first half and earned a road W in Jayson Tatum’s second game back.
The Boston Celtics got double-digit points from four players, two of which who came off the bench, in a 109-98 road win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.
Jaylen Brown led the C's with 23 points, while sharpshooters Payton Pritchard and Baylor Scheierman combined for 34 points on 13-for-20 (65.0%) shooting off the bench. The Cavs' entire bench scored only 13 points on the ni9ght.
Boston struck early and never looked back, building a nine-point lead after one quarter and burying Cleveland with a 21-10 second quarter to take a 56-36 lead into halftime. The big lead allowed for some second-half rest for Jayson Tatum, who reached the 20-point mark in his second game back from Achilles surgery. Tatum did help close things out, netting six fourth-quarter points, while Pritchard kept the Cavs at bay with a game-high nine points in the final frame, matching Donovan Mitchell's output.
Tatum is working off the rust offensively, as he's shooting just 37.5% from the field over his first two games back, averaging 17.5 points and 27 minutes per contest. Key to his and Brown's success on Sunday was that they both attacked the rim and drew fouls, cashing in at the free throw line with a 14-for-16 showing (87.5%).
Up Next: The Celtics have a real measuring stick schedule coming up, as they head out west to take on the Western Conference's top-2 teams in consecutive games. They'll take on the Spurs in San Antonio on Tuesday night, followed by a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. The OKC game will stream on Amazon Prime in addition to broadcasting on NBC Sports Boston. You can get the call of the game on our sister station, 105.7 WROR, and it will be joined in progress on 98.5 The Sports Hub following the conclusion of the Bruins game.
