Boston Celtics (48-12) at Cleveland Cavaliers (39-21) Game #61 3/5/24

The Celtics visit the Cavaliers for the third and final game between these two teams this season. The Celtics won the first game 120-112 on 12/12 and they won the 2nd game 116-107 on 12/14. Both of those games were in Boston. The Cavaliers won the series last season 3-1 with the Celtics losing both games in Cleveland and one of the games in Boston and their lone win was in Boston.

Cleveland has won 11 of its last 14 home games since Jan. 3rd, marking the 4th-best home winning percentage in the NBA over that span (2nd-best in the East). The Celtics have won their last 8 road games, with their last road loss coming January 11 at Milwaukee. The Celtics are 139-86 all time overall against the Cavaliers and they are 55-59 in games played in Cleveland. The Celtics have lost 5 of the last 6 games they played at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

The Celtics are 1st in the East, 8 games ahead of 2nd place Milwaukee, 9 games ahead of 3rd place Cleveland, 12.5 games ahead of 4th game New York, 13 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia, and 13.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando. They are 19-9 on the road and 10-0 in their last 10 games. They are 33-6 against Eastern Conference teams and have won 11 straight games.

The Cavaliers are 3rd in the East, 9 games behind 1st place Boston, 1 game behind 2nd place Milwaukee, 3.5 games ahead of 4th place New York, 4 games ahead of 5th place Philadelphia, 4.5 games ahead of 6th place Orlando and 5 games ahead of 7th place Miami. They are 20-11 at home and 5-5 in their last 10 games. They are 26-15 against Eastern Conference teams and they are coming off a loss in their last game.

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The Celtics just finished up a 3-0 home stand including a 52 point win over the Warriors. This is the first game of a 5 game road trip that will take them through Denver, Phoenix, Portland, and Utah. They have one game at home against Phoenix before playing at Washington and then back home against Detroit and Milwaukee before another 6 game road trip.

Cleveland is coming off a home loss to the Knicks and they are playing their second straight home game. After this game they will play at Atlanta and then back home for a 3 game home stand against Minnesota, Brooklyn, and Phoenix. Then a 3 game road trip through New Orleans, Houston and Indiana. Then, one game at home against Miami and then Minnesota and Miami on the road.

Jaylen Brown has been added to the injury report with a left knee contusion. Kristaps Porzingis remains on the report with a quad contusion. Both are questionable and will be a game time decision. Neemias Queta is out with a knee injury. If Jaylen is out, Sam Hauser will likely get the start and if Porzingis is out, then Al Horford will likely start at center once again.

For the Cavaliers, Donovan Mitchell is out after getting an injection to deal with a bone bruise on his knee. He will miss the next 3 games. Ty Jerome is out after having arthroscopic surgery on his ankle. Max Strus is out with a right knee strain. Caris LeVert is questionable with an elbow injury that has kept him out of the last 2 games. If he can play, he will likely move into the starting lineup. Isaac Okoro is also questionable with an elbow injury. If he can’t play, then Georges Niang will likely start.

Probable Celtics Starters

Grid View

• Jrue Holiday Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
• Derrick White Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
• Jaylen Brown Photo by Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE via Getty Images
• Jayson Tatum Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images
• Al Horford Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images

Celtics Reserves
Oshae Brissett
Sam Hauser
Al Horford
Luke Kornet
Svi Mykhailiuk
Payton Pritchard
Jordan Walsh
Xavier Tillman
Jaden Springer

2 Way Players
JD Davison
Neemias Queta
Drew Peterson

Injuries/Out
Jaylen Brown (knee) questionable
Kristaps Porzingis (quad) questionable
Neemias Queta (knee) out

Head Coach
Joe Mazzulla

Probable Cavaliers Starters

Grid View

• Darius Garland Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
• Sam Merrill Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images
• Isaac Okoro Photo by Jeff Haynes/NBAE via Getty Images
• Evan Mobley Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images
• Jarrett Allen Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images

Cavaliers Reserves
Sharife Cooper
Damian Jones
Georges Niang
Craig Porter, Jr
Tristan Thompson
Dean Wade

Two Way Players
Emoni Bates
Isaiah Mobley
Pete Nance

Injuries/Out
Ty Jerome (ankle) out
Donovan Mitchell (knee) out
Max Strus (knee) out
Isaac Okoro (elbow) questionable
Caris LeVert (elbow) questionable

Head Coach
JB Bickerstaff

Key Matchups

Grid View

• Jrue Holiday Photo By Winslow Townson/Getty Images
• Darius Garland Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Jrue Holiday vs Darius Garland
Garland is averaging 18.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He is shooting 45.9% from the field and 37.7%from beyond the arc. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 22.5 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.5 steals. He shot 45.2% from the field and 46.7% from beyond the arc. Slowing him down will be key to winning this game.

Grid View

• Jayson Tatum Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images
• Evan Mobley Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Jayson Tatum vs Evan Mobley
Mobley is averaging 15.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. He is shooting 58.3% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. He didn’t play in the first 2 games against the Celtics. He is a good defender and shot blocker and could make things difficult for the Celtics. He also is a good rebounder and the Celtics will need to box out to keep him off the boards.

Honorable Mention
Kristaps Porzingis (or Al Horford) vs Jarrett Allen

Allen is averaging 15.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. He is shooting 63.3% from the field and is not a threat to shoot 3’s. Against the Celtics this season, he averaged 11 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 1.5 steals per game. He shot 62.5% from the field but didn’t take a three.

Keys to the Game
Defense - Defense is always a key to winning games. The Cavaliers are a good defensive team with a 110.6 defensive rating, which is 3rd in the league, right behind the Celtics, who have a defensive rating of 110.2, which is 2nd. The Celtics must make defense a priority in this game and they have to play that tough defense for 48 minutes and not let up. The Cavs are going to play good defense and so the Celtics will need to match or exceed their defensive intensity because it will likely be harder to score against a tough Cavs defensive effort.

Rebound - Next to defense, rebounding is a key to winning. Much of rebounding is effort and desire and when the Celtics put out the extra effort on the boards, it usually carries through to the rest of their game. The Celtics are averaging 47.1 rebounds per game (1st) while the Cavs are averaging 44.8 rebounds per game (7th). The Celtics need to aggressively go after every rebound.

Effort and Focus for 48 Minutes - The Celtics need to stay focused for 48 minutes. They have to play with effort. The Cavs play hard and so the Celtics need to match that effort and play even harder. The team that plays harder and is more aggressive is usually the team that comes out on top. The Celtics also have to stay focused. They have to focus on taking good shots and making them. They also have to keep that effort and focus up for 48 minutes with no let up and no collapse.

Don’t Get Complacent - The Celtics are coming off a 52 point thrashing of the Warriors. They are first in the league, 8 games ahead of the 2nd place Bucks. They are playing a Cavs team without their best player and with a couple other players out as well. The Celtics need to come out ready to play their best and not play down to a short handed Cavs team and not think they can coast to a win without giving a strong team effort.

X-Factors
On the Road - The Celtics are playing on the road and will need to stay focused in spite of the distractions of travel and playing in front of a hostile crowd. Cavs fans really do not like the Celtics. The Celtics are beginning a 5 game road trip and hopefully they can start it off with a win.

Injuries - Both teams are dealing with injuries and the starting lineups are up in the air. Needless to say, the Celtics will have it much easier if Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis can play. If they are out, it has to be next man up to take up the slack. The Cavs also have a couple of question marks in the starting lineup, depending on whether Okoro is out and whether LeVert can come back.

Officiating - Officiating is always an x-factor. Every crew calls the game a little differently with some calling it tight and others letting them play. Complaining to the refs about bad calls just seems to make it worse and the Celtics seem to be getting better about that recently. The Celtics have to adjust to how the game is being called and focus on the game and not on the officials.

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