Celtics' Defense Shuts Down Cleveland's Top-Ranked Offense

 

On Friday night, Jayson Tatum secured a victory for the Celtics with his clutch offense, sinking a game-winning jumper in New Orleans.

Four nights later, he delivered on the defensive end, making a crucial steal in the closing moments of Tuesday night’s 112-105 win over Cleveland.

With just under 30 seconds remaining, the Cavaliers had an opportunity to trim their deficit to two points. Evan Mobley attempted to pass to Donovan Mitchell for a transition three, but Tatum anticipated the play, intercepted the pass, and drew a foul before sealing the win with free throws. Defense was the defining factor of the game for Tatum and the entire Celtics team. Boston recorded 10 steals, six blocks, and held the East-leading Cavaliers to a season-low field-goal percentage of 39.6 percent while also restricting them to their third-lowest point total.

Derrick White set the defensive tone early, grabbing a steal on Cleveland’s first possession. The Celtics dominated the first quarter, holding Cleveland to a season-low 15 points while scoring 28 themselves. Boston led 54-44 at halftime before Cleveland tightened the gap in the third quarter. However, the Celtics maintained their lead, thanks to White’s clutch shooting—scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter—and key defensive stops by Tatum and his teammates.

Head coach Joe Mazzulla praised his team’s “really good ball pressure” throughout most of the game, crediting it to “great attention to detail on the game plan.”

“I thought we did a good job just taking away some of the margins, some of the easy baskets that they’re able to create because of the type of players they have and the type of offense they run,” Mazzulla elaborated.

Despite All-Stars Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland contributing 31 and 25 points, respectively, Boston effectively shut down Cleveland’s supporting cast. The Celtics held Evan Mobley to just seven points on 3-of-14 shooting. Even Mitchell and Garland struggled with efficiency, needing 55 shot attempts to tally their 56 combined points.

Offensively, Boston distributed the scoring load. Tatum led with 22 points, followed by White with 20, Kristaps Porzingis with 19, and Jaylen Brown with 16. The bench also played a vital role, led by Al Horford’s double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds.

“Al, Payton (Pritchard), Luke (Kornet), and Sam (Hauser) were tremendous on both ends of the floor,” Mazzulla said. “Their ball pressure, their offensive rebounding, their execution. Throughout a season, there are moments when the team truly shows itself, and I feel like this was one of those moments. The guys need each other, and it’s something we’ve got to continue building on.”

With four straight wins, the Celtics lead the Eastern Conference and face more challenges ahead. They will host the Dallas Mavericks for a Finals rematch on Thursday night at TD Garden before hitting the road for a tough matchup against the third-place Knicks on Saturday night.