Game ID: 22300305
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 21 38 35 26 120CLE 31 29 32 21 113
BOS vs CLE ScoutingBOS vs CLE Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
BOS availability going into 11/28 · 1 day's restOUT Holiday missed 2 since 11/24, returns tonight: 33 min (98% of 34)
BACK Kornet back 11/20 after 2, 18 min since (119% of 15)
BACK Queta back 11/19 after 12, 10 min since (92% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 11/20 after 4, 11 min since (108% of 10)
NEW Hauser 21 to 27 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 12/01 · 2 days' restOUT Porziņģis missed 2 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Brissett missed 2 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/28 after 2, 33 min since (98% of 34)
BACK Kornet back 11/20 after 2, 18 min since (122% of 15)
BACK Queta back 11/26 after 3, 15 min since (136% of 11)
NEW Hauser 21 to 27 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 12/04 · 2 days' restOUT Porziņģis missed 3 since 11/26, out tonight
OUT Brissett missed 3 since 11/26, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/28 after 2, 34 min since (101% of 34)
BACK Queta back 11/26 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 12/08 · 3 days' restOUT Porziņģis missed 4 since 11/26, returns tonight: 29 min (101% of 29)
OUT Brissett missed 4 since 11/26, returns tonight: 0 min (3% of 10)
BACK Holiday back 11/28 after 2, 35 min since (104% of 34)
BACK Queta back 11/26 after 3, 13 min since (113% of 11)
BOS availability going into 12/12 · 3 days' restOUT Queta missed 2 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/28 after 2, 35 min since (104% of 34)
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 29 min since (101% of 29)
BACK Brissett back 12/08 after 4, 0 min since (3% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 3 since 12/04, out tonight
BACK Holiday back 11/28 after 2, 35 min since (103% of 34)
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 30 min since (105% of 29)
BACK Brissett back 12/08 after 4, 0 min since (3% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/15 · back-to-backOUT Queta missed 4 since 12/04, returns tonight: 18 min (163% of 11)
OUT Brissett missed 2 since 12/12, returns tonight: 16 min (149% of 10)
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 31 min since (105% of 29)
BOS availability going into 12/17 · 1 day's restOUT Kornet missed 2 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 31 min since (105% of 29)
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 18 min since (163% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/08 after 4, 8 min since (76% of 10)
BOS availability going into 12/19 · 1 day's restOUT Kornet missed 3 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Porziņģis back 12/08 after 4, 30 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 17 min since (155% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/08 after 4, 6 min since (58% of 10)
CLE availability going into 12/02 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 5 since 11/22, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 4 since 11/25, returns tonight: 2 min (15% of 17)
OUT Thompson missed 2 since 11/28, returns tonight: 2 min (23% of 11)
BACK Mitchell back 11/25 after 4, 34 min since (96% of 36)
BACK LeVert back 11/22 after 2, 24 min since (86% of 28)
BACK Okoro back 11/25 after 9, 15 min since (58% of 26)
NEW Porter Jr. 13 to 18 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 12/06 · 3 days' restOUT Wade missed 6 since 11/22, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 20)
BACK Mitchell back 11/25 after 4, 34 min since (95% of 36)
BACK Okoro back 11/25 after 9, 19 min since (71% of 26)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 2 min since (15% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 2 min since (23% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/08 · 1 day's restOUT LeVert missed 2 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 14 min since (68% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 2 min since (15% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 4 min since (37% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/11 · 2 days' restOUT LeVert missed 3 since 12/02, out tonight
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 19 min since (95% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 6 min since (37% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 8 min since (76% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/12 · back-to-backOUT Eva. Mobley missed 2 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 4 since 12/02, returns tonight: 23 min (81% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 23 min since (110% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 10 min since (58% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 13 min since (123% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/14 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 3 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 12/11, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 23 min since (81% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Merrill back 12/02 after 4, 10 min since (58% of 17)
BACK Thompson back 12/02 after 2, 13 min since (120% of 11)
CLE availability going into 12/16 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 4 since 12/08, out tonight
OUT Merrill missed 2 since 12/12, returns tonight: 8 min (47% of 17)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 12/11, returns tonight: 15 min (119% of 13)
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 29 min since (102% of 28)
BACK Wade back 12/06 after 6, 21 min since (101% of 20)
CLE availability going into 12/18 · 1 day's restOUT Eva. Mobley missed 5 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 8 min since (47% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 15 min since (119% of 13)
CLE availability going into 12/20 · 1 day's restOUT Garland missed 2 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 6 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 28 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 16 min since (95% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 12 min since (94% of 13)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 112, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 27 and Brown at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 3 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 104, shooting 45 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 23 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (2 straight), LeVert (4 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 37 percent from three to Cleveland's 31 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 104 a night to Boston's 112. Call it Boston 115, Cleveland 108.
11/28 vs CHI 124-97 — BOS notes
BOS won 124-97. BOS shot 52% (47 of 90) to CHI's 43%, 21 of 49 from three, and got to the line 12 times to CHI's 18. BOS turned it over 16 times to CHI's 8, and CHI turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 52-37 for them. Brown led with 30 (12 of 23, 3 of 8 from three); Tatum added 21, Horford 16. The hinge was Q1, 31-20: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 35. Brown was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
12/01 vs PHI 125-119 — BOS notes
BOS won 125-119. BOS shot 51% (39 of 77) to PHI's 46%, 16 of 33 from three, and went to the line 36 times to PHI's 23 — 31 points from the stripe to their 17. White led with 21 (5 of 11, 3 of 4 from three, 8 of 8 at the line); Tatum added 21, Brown 20. The hinge was Q1, 44-36: from level to 8 ahead. BOS trailed 69-72 at the half and won the second half 56-47. White was the night's best plus/minus at +20.
12/04 @ IND 112-122 — BOS notes
BOS lost 112-119. BOS shot 47% (46 of 97) to IND's 46%, 12 of 41 from three, and got to the line just 12 times against 19 fouls committed. BOS turned it over 17 times to IND's 6, and IND turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 56-41 for them. Tatum led with 32 (13 of 26, 2 of 8 from three, 4 of 7 at the line); Brown added 30, White 18. Q2 was theirs, 31-26, but the other 3 periods went 93-81 against them. Holiday's -15 in 38 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/08 vs NYK 133-123 — BOS notes
BOS won 133-123. BOS shot 53% (48 of 91) to NYK's 50%, 19 of 47 from three, and got to the line 21 times to NYK's 27. BOS turned it over 7 times to NYK's 13. The glass went 34-44 against them. White led with 30 (10 of 16, 6 of 10 from three); Tatum added 25, Porziņģis 21. The hinge was Q2, 41-33: a lead of 1 became 9, and the lead reached 20. White was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
12/12 vs CLE 120-113 — BOS notes
BOS won 120-113. BOS shot 45% (38 of 84) to CLE's 48%, 18 of 44 from three, and went to the line 26 times to CLE's 9 — 26 points from the stripe to their 6. The glass went 45-35 for them. Tatum led with 25 (7 of 19, 2 of 9 from three, 9 of 9 at the line); Brown added 25, Porziņģis 21. The hinge was Q2, 38-29: the deficit went from 10 to 1. BOS trailed 59-60 at the half and won the second half 61-53. Hauser was the night's best plus/minus at +14.
12/14 vs CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 25 and Brown at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 26 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 35 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 107 a night to Boston's 114. Call it Boston 116, Cleveland 109.
12/15 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Brown at 23 a game. That is 3 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. Orlando comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 48 percent and 30 from three, 28 free throws a game; Banchero at 27 and F. Wagner at 22 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Carter Jr. (18 straight), Fultz (15 straight). 3 days' rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Orlando minus-5 and the arc, Boston at 39 percent from three to Orlando's 30. Call it Boston 115, Orlando 113, Orlando keeping it close.
12/17 vs ORL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 115, shooting 50 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Tatum at 28 and Brown at 22 a game. That is 4 straight wins. One day's rest. Orlando comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 30 from three, 25 free throws a game; Banchero at 24 and F. Wagner at 19 a game. Without Carter Jr. (19 straight), Fultz (16 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 38 percent from three to Orlando's 30 and the glass, where Boston has been plus-2 a night and Orlando minus-3. Call it Boston 117, Orlando 110.
12/19 @ GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 122, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Curry at 24 and Thompson at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. Without Green (3 straight), Payton II (8 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 110, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Tatum at 26 and Brown at 23 a game. That is 5 straight wins. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 110 a night to Golden State's 122 and the glass, where Golden State has been plus-8 a night and Boston plus-1. Call it Boston 118, Golden State 115, Golden State keeping it close.
12/02 @ DET 110-101 — CLE notes
CLE won 110-101. CLE shot 49% (44 of 89) to DET's 47%, 10 of 30 from three. CLE turned it over 11 times to DET's 16. Strus led with 22 (9 of 16, 4 of 10 from three); Garland added 22, Mitchell 20. The hinge was Q2, 29-18: CLE came in trailing by 5 and left it ahead by 6. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
12/06 vs ORL 121-111 — CLE notes
CLE won 121-111. CLE shot 53% (46 of 86) to ORL's 49%, 14 of 34 from three, and got to the line 20 times to ORL's 37. Mitchell led with 35 (12 of 24, 5 of 10 from three, 6 of 9 at the line); Garland added 26, Strus 17. The hinge was Q1, 37-20: from level to 17 ahead, and the lead reached 23. Okoro was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
12/08 @ MIA 111-99 — CLE notes
CLE won 111-99. CLE shot 46% (40 of 87) to MIA's 43%, 14 of 38 from three, and went to the line 26 times to MIA's 15 — 17 points from the stripe to their 10. CLE turned it over 13 times to MIA's 18. The glass went 51-37 for them. Mitchell led with 27 (9 of 17, 3 of 8 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Garland added 18, Niang 13. The hinge was Q3, 35-23: a lead of 1 became 13, and the lead reached 18. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +23.
12/11 @ ORL 94-104 — CLE notes
CLE lost 94-104. CLE shot 35% (30 of 85) to ORL's 46%, 9 of 40 from three, and went to the line 33 times to ORL's 25 — 25 points from the stripe to their 19. Garland led with 36 (11 of 23, 3 of 9 from three, 11 of 12 at the line); Mitchell added 22, Thompson 10. Q1 was theirs, 29-22, but the other 3 periods went 82-65 against them. Okoro's -21 in 26 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/12 @ BOS 113-120 — CLE notes
CLE lost 113-120. CLE took 8 more shots (92 to 84), but shot 48% to BOS's 45%, 19 of 45 from three, and got to the line just 9 times against 18 fouls committed. The glass went 35-45 against them. Mitchell led with 29 (11 of 22, 5 of 13 from three); Garland added 26, Strus 17. Q1 was theirs, 31-21, but the other 3 periods went 99-82 against them. They led by as many as 15. Okoro's -15 in 16 minutes was the worst on the floor.
12/14 @ BOS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 114, shooting 50 percent and 40 from three, 21 free throws a game; Tatum at 25 and Brown at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 107, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 26 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the arc, Boston at 40 percent from three to Cleveland's 35 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 107 a night to Boston's 114. Call it Boston 116, Cleveland 109.
12/16 vs ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 29 and Garland at 25 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Eva. Mobley (4 straight), Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 120 a night and allowing 121, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Young at 30 and Bogdanović at 24 a game. Without Johnson (9 straight), Hunter (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 110 a night to Atlanta's 121 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 14 times a game to Atlanta's 11. Call it Cleveland 118, Atlanta 114, Atlanta keeping it close.
12/18 vs HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 26 and Garland at 25 a game. Without Eva. Mobley (5 straight). One day's rest. Houston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 103, shooting 42 percent and 36 from three, 30 free throws a game; VanVleet at 18 and Sengun at 15 a game. Without Thompson (3 straight), Whitmore (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Houston takes 30 free throws a game to Cleveland's 20 and the defense, Houston allowing 103 a night to Cleveland's 112. Call it Cleveland 110, Houston 108, Houston keeping it close.
12/20 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Garland at 27 a game. Without Garland (2 straight), Eva. Mobley (6 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 119, shooting 48 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sexton at 26 and Markkanen at 20 a game. Without Clarkson (4 straight), George (3 straight), Sensabaugh (26 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 118, Utah 113.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECL C. LeVert
DG D. Garland
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MS M. Strus
TT T. Thompson
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
CLE/BOS the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Tatum, Brown lead Celtics past Cavaliers 120-113 to remain unbeaten in Boston
BOSTON -- — Jayson Tatum had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Jaylen Brown also scored 25 and the Boston Celtics remained unbeaten at home with a 120-113 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Kristaps Porzingis had 21 points and 10 rebounds, Derrick White added 17 points and Boston held Cleveland scoreless for a stretch of 2 minutes, 40 seconds in the fourth quarter while finally putting away the Cavaliers, who had played on the road the night before.
Cleveland came out strong and dominated the first quarter. Boston wasn't able to pull away until the final minutes.
“This was a good win, especially with the way we started the game. It could have went south early,” Tatum said. “But we stuck with it and we were just thankful to only be down 10 in that first quarter.”
Donovan Mitchell had 29 points and Darius Garland scored 26 for the Cavaliers, who couldn't overcome the cold stretch in the fourth quarter. Cleveland was also outrebounded 45-35 in the opener of a two-game series and was outscored 26-6 at the foul line.
The teams play again Thursday in Boston.
Max Strus added 17 points and nine rebounds for the Cavs, who set a season high with 19 3-pointers. Cleveland was coming off a 104-94 loss at Orlando on Monday night, when the Cavs scored just 15 points in the third quarter. Cleveland started strong Tuesday, opening the game with an 18-4 run, but could not maintain the pace.
“They came out very aggressive and we came out a little bit not as aggressive. They punched first,” said Porzingis, who scored 19 in the second half. “By halftime we were close, but then second half I felt we really turned it on.”
Porzingis broke a 106-all tie when he earned back-to-back trips to the line midway through the fourth quarter and made all four free throws, then Tatum stepped back for a 3-pointer that put Boston up 113-106 with 4:26 remaining.
The Cavs hadn’t scored since an 18-foot jumper by Mitchell with 6:05 left in the fourth tied it at 106. But Cleveland didn’t score again until Jarrett Allen’s layup with 3:25 left pulled Cleveland within 113-108.
“I think they were more organized offensively. They kind of knew what they wanted to get and they got to it and they made shots,” Cavs swingman Caris LeVert said. “On the other end, we kind of were a little disorganized, didn’t necessarily get the ball where we wanted to every single time and they took advantage.”
Brown opened the second half with a layup, then hit a quick 3-pointer that put Boston up 64-61. Three straight 3-pointers by Mitchell put Cleveland right back in front and the Cavs continued to lead through much of the third quarter.
Boston went back up when Tatum hit a 3-pointer for an 86-84 lead and Boston was up 94-92 entering the fourth quarter, but couldn’t pull away by much.
Mitchell was called for a technical after complaining about an on out-of-bounds call with 2:18 left in the second quarter. Tatum’s free throw tied it at 57-all, then a layup by Brown put Boston up 59-57 for the Celtics’ first lead of the game.