Game ID: 22300319
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics
Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 7:30 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 33 32 25 26 116CLE 24 30 33 20 107
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 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)
BOS availability going into 12/20 · back-to-backOUT Kornet missed 4 since 12/14, out tonight
BACK Queta back 12/15 after 4, 18 min since (165% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 12/15 after 2, 8 min since (75% of 10)
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)
CLE availability going into 12/21 · back-to-backOUT Garland missed 3 since 12/16, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 7 since 12/08, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 12/12 after 4, 27 min since (97% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 12/16 after 2, 21 min since (124% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 12/16 after 3, 16 min since (128% 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 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.
12/01 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 116-107 — BOS notes
BOS won 116-107. BOS shot 51% (43 of 85) to CLE's 48%, 13 of 36 from three. Tatum led with 27 (9 of 22, 3 of 10 from three, 6 of 8 at the line); Brown added 22, Porziņģis 18. The hinge was Q1, 33-24: from level to 9 ahead. Holiday was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
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.
12/20 @ SAC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Sacramento comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 119, shooting 50 percent and 43 from three, 20 free throws a game; Fox at 28 and Murray at 26 a game. That is 3 straight wins. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 112, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 18 free throws a game; Brown at 25 and Tatum at 24 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Sacramento wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 112 a night to Sacramento's 119 and the arc, Sacramento at 43 percent from three to Boston's 38. Call it Sacramento 118, Boston 117, Boston keeping it close.
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 107-116 — CLE notes
CLE lost 107-116. CLE shot 48% (40 of 83) to BOS's 51%, 11 of 33 from three. Mitchell led with 31 (12 of 24, 2 of 8 from three); LeVert added 26, Garland 19. Q3 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 11 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 91-74 against them. Mitchell's -11 in 40 minutes was the worst on the floor.
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.
12/21 vs NOP — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 120, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 18 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Merrill at 18 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Garland (3 straight), Eva. Mobley (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. New Orleans comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 112, shooting 51 percent and 44 from three, 30 free throws a game; Ingram at 26 and McCollum at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Nance Jr. (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: New Orleans wins, on the road, and the game turns on the line, where New Orleans takes 30 free throws a game to Cleveland's 18 and the glass, where New Orleans has been plus-6 a night and Cleveland minus-1. Call it New Orleans 119, Cleveland 115, Cleveland keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
BOSAH A. Horford
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JH J. Holiday
JT J. Tatum
KP K. Porziņģis
LS L. Stevens
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
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
BOS/CLE 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
Celtics improve to 12-0 at home behind Jayson Tatum's 27 points in 116-107 win over Cavs
BOSTON -- — Jayson Tatum scored 27 points, Jaylen Brown had 22 and the Boston Celtics beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 116-107 on Thursday night to improve to 12-0 at home.
Facing the Cavaliers for the second consecutive game at TD Garden after a victory on Tuesday, Boston won for the sixth time in seven games overall.
Kristaps Porzingis added 18 points, Jrue Holiday had 15 and Derrick White 14 for the Celtics, who have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Tatum added 11 rebounds, and all five starters scored in double figures.
“I think we were locked in, attention to detail,” Holiday said. “This game we kind of controlled the game from beginning to end, withstood their punches and were able to make plays down the stretch.”
Donovan Mitchell paced Cleveland with 31 points, Caris LeVert finished with 26 and Darius Garland had 19. The Cavaliers have lost three straight.
After having their double-digit lead sliced to three entering the final quarter, the Celtics took control again. Tatum sparked a quick spurt with a fadeaway and a step-back 3-pointer, pushing Boston’s lead to 101-91 with 8 1/2 minutes to go.
Cleveland had one more run left, slicing it to 107-102 on LeVert’s driving basket with 3:01 to play, but Holiday hit a layup and Tatum followed Cleveland’s turnover with a dunk with 1:53 to play.
“I thought we could have played a lot better, to be honest,” Brown said. “I thought we played a little lethargically and allowed them to keep the game kind of close. That’s kind of dangerous against certain teams; they’re in striking distance and can get hot at any moment. We’ve got to do a better job of putting teams away.”
Trailing by double digits most of the third quarter and looking somewhat sluggish, the Cavaliers found a late spark, namely Garland, late in the period when he burst to the basket before hitting a left-handed scoop. He followed that by nailing a 3 from the top with 0.3 seconds on the clock to close to 90-87 after three.
Unlike Tuesday’s victory when the Celtics fell behind by 15 in the opening quarter, they combined some steady ball movement that led to numerous open looks with good outside shooting, taking advantage of a cold start by the Cavaliers to jump ahead by 14 on Brown’s right-corner 3 midway into the second quarter.
“I think it's growth to constantly be challenged throughout the season,” Boston coach Joe Mazzulla said. “I've seen over the last two games our guys kind of staying at a certain level, really work to execute and play together.”
Boston shot 56.1% in the opening half (including 8 of 17 on 3-point attempts) and led 65-54 at the break.
Mitchell had 21 first-half points, but the Cavaliers missed 16 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. Every Cleveland player besides Mitchell shot under 50% from the floor in the opening half.
“I don't think that we came out as aggressive and assertive as we needed to,” Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “I thought we did settle (for shots) a little early, but we did pick it up.”
After making all 26 free throws in Tuesday’s win, Boston was 17 of 20 from the foul line.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night.
Celtics: Host the Orlando Magic on Friday, the first of consecutive games between the teams at TD Garden.