Game ID: 22300886
Boston Celtics @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 7:30 PM ET
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 25 20 26 34 105BOS 33 22 32 17 104
BOS @ CLE ScoutingBOS @ 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.
CLE availability going into 2/27 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 15 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 36 min since (101% of 36)
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (51% of 20)
BACK Porter Jr. back 2/22 after 3, 5 min since (37% of 13)
CLE availability going into 2/28 · back-to-backOUT Porter Jr. missed 2 since 2/25, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 16 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 37 min since (104% of 36)
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 10 min since (50% of 20)
CLE availability going into 3/01 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 2/27, returns tonight: 25 min (151% of 17)
OUT Porter Jr. missed 3 since 2/25, returns tonight: 11 min (90% of 13)
OUT Thompson missed 17 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Wade back 2/22 after 2, 11 min since (53% of 20)
CLE availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Thompson missed 18 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 2/25 after 2, 40 min since (111% of 36)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 25 min since (151% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 11 min since (90% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT LeVert missed 2 since 3/01, returns tonight: 30 min (105% of 28)
OUT Thompson missed 19 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 27 min since (161% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 10 min since (78% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/06 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 20 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 30 min since (105% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 28 min since (168% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 9 min since (68% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/08 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 2 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 21 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 33 min since (116% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 26 min since (153% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 10 min since (80% of 13)
CLE availability going into 3/10 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 5 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 3 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 2 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 22 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 33 min since (118% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 3/01 after 2, 24 min since (144% of 17)
BACK Porter Jr. back 3/01 after 3, 9 min since (69% of 13)
NEW Allen 32 to 38 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 34 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/11 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 6 since 3/01, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 4 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 3 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 23 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 32 min since (114% of 28)
NEW Okoro 26 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Wade 20 to 26 min over the last 4
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 2/24 · 1 day's restBACK Queta back 2/14 after 4, 13 min since (118% of 11)
BOS availability going into 2/27 · 2 days' restOUT Queta missed 2 since 2/22, out tonight
BOS availability going into 3/01 · 2 days' restOUT Tillman missed 2 since 2/24, returns tonight: 15 min (123% of 12)
OUT Queta missed 3 since 2/22, out tonight
BOS availability going into 3/03 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 4 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (123% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/05 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 5 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 16 min since (134% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/07 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 6 since 2/22, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 16 min since (134% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/09 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 7 since 2/22, out tonight
OUT Brissett missed 2 since 3/05, out tonight
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (126% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/11 · 1 day's restOUT Queta missed 8 since 2/22, returns tonight: 2 min (17% of 11)
OUT Brissett missed 3 since 3/05, returns tonight: 19 min (183% of 10)
BACK Tillman back 3/01 after 2, 15 min since (126% of 12)
BOS availability going into 3/12 · back-to-backOUT Porziņģis missed 2 since 3/09, out tonight
OUT Tillman missed 2 since 3/09, returns tonight: 26 min (215% of 12)
BACK Queta back 3/11 after 8, 2 min since (17% of 11)
BACK Brissett back 3/11 after 3, 19 min since (183% of 10)
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 113 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Mitchell at 22 and Garland at 19 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), LeVert (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 5-0 over its last five, scoring 128 a night and allowing 102, shooting 55 percent and 45 from three, 19 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 26 a game. That is 5 straight wins. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-5 a night and Cleveland minus-3 and the defense, Boston allowing 102 a night to Cleveland's 113. Call it Boston 117, Cleveland 111.
2/27 vs DAL 121-119 — CLE notes
CLE won 121-119. CLE shot 53% (44 of 83) to DAL's 53%, 20 of 40 from three. CLE turned it over 16 times to DAL's 5, and DAL turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 47-36 for them. Mitchell led with 31 (11 of 20, 7 of 11 from three); Strus added 21, Allen 19. The hinge was Q2, 37-32: CLE came in trailing by 1 and left it ahead by 4, and the lead reached 15. Niang was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
2/28 @ CHI 123-132 — CLE notes
CLE lost 123-132 in 2 overtimes. CLE shot 43% (45 of 104) to CHI's 40%, 22 of 54 from three, and got to the line 19 times to CHI's 38. The glass went 39-74 against them. Mobley led with 25 (11 of 17, 1 of 4 from three, 2 of 6 at the line); Garland added 23, Mitchell 19. Q1 was theirs, 32-23, but the other 5 periods went 109-91 against them. They led by as many as 12. Strus's -18 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/01 @ DET 110-100 — CLE notes
CLE won 110-100. CLE shot 40% (33 of 83) to DET's 37%, 18 of 41 from three. CLE turned it over 15 times to DET's 8, and DET turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 53-42 for them. Garland led with 29 (9 of 21, 8 of 12 from three); Mobley added 22, Strus 14. The hinge was Q1, 32-24: from level to 8 ahead, and the lead reached 26. Mobley was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/03 vs NYK 98-107 — CLE notes
CLE lost 98-107. CLE shot 45% (39 of 87) to NYK's 49%, 17 of 44 from three. Merrill led with 21 (7 of 13, 7 of 13 from three); Garland added 19, Allen 18. Q2 was theirs, 34-23, turning a 9-point deficit into a 2-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 84-64 against them. Strus's -10 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/05 vs BOS 105-104 — CLE notes
CLE won 105-104. CLE shot 43% (39 of 90) to BOS's 42%, 20 of 42 from three. CLE turned it over 8 times to BOS's 13. The glass went 42-53 against them. Wade led with 23 (8 of 11, 6 of 9 from three); Allen added 21, Garland 16. The hinge was Q4, 34-17: CLE came in trailing by 16 and left it ahead by 1. CLE trailed 45-55 at the half and won the second half 60-49. Wade was the night's best plus/minus at +16.
3/06 @ ATL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Murray at 22 and Johnson at 18 a game. Without Young (5 straight), Okongwu (7 straight), Krejčí (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 44 from three, 17 free throws a game; Garland at 19 and Allen at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Mitchell (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Atlanta wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 44 percent from three to Atlanta's 34 and the glass, where Atlanta has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-6. Call it Atlanta 114, Cleveland 112, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/08 vs MIN — 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 107 a night and allowing 111, shooting 43 percent and 39 from three, 17 free throws a game; Garland at 20 and Eva. Mobley at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 9 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Strus (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 26 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Towns at 16 a game. Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-2 a night and Cleveland minus-9 and the line, where Minnesota takes 26 free throws a game to Cleveland's 17. Call it Cleveland 111, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/10 vs BKN — 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 105 a night and allowing 105, shooting 43 percent and 37 from three, 20 free throws a game; Garland at 23 and Allen at 20 a game. Without Mitchell (5 straight), Strus (3 straight), Eva. Mobley (2 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 109, shooting 46 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Schröder at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Cam. Johnson (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-1 a night and Brooklyn minus-7. Call it Cleveland 113, Brooklyn 106.
3/11 vs PHX — 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 104 a night and allowing 109, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 18 free throws a game; Allen at 21 and Garland at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Mitchell (6 straight), Strus (4 straight), Eva. Mobley (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Phoenix comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 115, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Durant at 33 and Beal at 20 a game. Without Booker (4 straight), Okogie (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Phoenix has been plus-4 a night and Cleveland minus-5 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 15 times a game to Cleveland's 11. Call it Cleveland 113, Phoenix 112, Phoenix keeping it close.
2/24 @ NYK 116-102 — BOS notes
BOS won 116-102. BOS shot 57% (46 of 81) to NYK's 45%, 15 of 35 from three. BOS turned it over 7 times to NYK's 13. Brown led with 30 (13 of 24, 3 of 9 from three); Porziņģis added 22, Tatum 19. The hinge was Q3, 35-26: a lead of 4 became 13, and the lead reached 20. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
2/27 vs PHI 117-99 — BOS notes
BOS won 117-99. BOS shot 53% (39 of 74) to PHI's 39%, 5 of 22 from three, and went to the line 37 times to PHI's 12 — 34 points from the stripe to their 11. BOS turned it over 14 times to PHI's 9. The glass went 56-28 for them. Brown led with 31 (11 of 14, 8 of 10 at the line); Tatum added 29, Porziņģis 23. The hinge was Q3, 33-24: a lead of 2 became 11, and the lead reached 20. White was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
3/01 vs DAL 138-110 — BOS notes
BOS won 138-110. BOS shot 55% (52 of 94) to DAL's 47%, 21 of 43 from three. Tatum led with 32 (10 of 19, 5 of 9 from three, 7 of 7 at the line); Brown added 25, Porziņģis 24. The hinge was Q4, 36-20: a lead of 12 became 28. White was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
3/03 vs GSW 140-88 — BOS notes
BOS won 140-88. BOS shot 55% (53 of 96) to GSW's 39%, 25 of 49 from three. BOS turned it over 7 times to GSW's 17. Brown led with 29 (11 of 19, 5 of 10 from three); Tatum added 27, Pritchard 19. The hinge was Q1, 44-22: from level to 22 ahead, and the lead reached 56. Tatum was the night's best plus/minus at +40.
3/05 @ CLE 104-105 — BOS notes
BOS lost 104-105. BOS shot 42% (39 of 93) to CLE's 43%, 15 of 38 from three. BOS turned it over 13 times to CLE's 8, and CLE turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 53-42 for them. Tatum led with 26 (8 of 21, 5 of 9 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); Porziņģis added 24, Brown 21. Q1 was theirs, 33-25, but the other 3 periods went 80-71 against them. They led by as many as 22. Holiday's -14 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/07 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 105, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 16 free throws a game; Jokić at 25 and Murray at 23 a game. One day's rest. Boston comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 101, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 17 free throws a game; Brown at 27 and Tatum at 27 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-9 a night and Denver plus-3 and the arc, Boston at 43 percent from three to Denver's 38. Call it Boston 114, Denver 111, Denver keeping it close.
3/09 @ PHX — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Phoenix comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 38 from three, 25 free throws a game; Durant at 29 and Beal at 18 a game. Without Booker (3 straight), Okogie (3 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 103, shooting 50 percent and 41 from three, 20 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Boston has been plus-10 a night and Phoenix plus-3 and the turnovers, Phoenix giving it away 15 times a game to Boston's 11. Call it Boston 116, Phoenix 112, Phoenix keeping it close.
3/11 @ POR — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Portland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 118, shooting 46 percent and 40 from three, 20 free throws a game; Simons at 28 and Banton at 19 a game. Without Grant (2 straight), Sharpe (26 straight), Walker (2 straight). One day's rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 105, shooting 49 percent and 42 from three, 15 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 26 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 105 a night to Portland's 118 and the turnovers, Portland giving it away 17 times a game to Boston's 11. Call it Boston 118, Portland 111.
3/12 @ UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 123, shooting 47 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Sexton at 21 and Clarkson at 20 a game. Without Markkanen (3 straight), Hendricks (2 straight). 2 days' rest. Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 103, shooting 48 percent and 40 from three, 15 free throws a game; Brown at 29 and Tatum at 25 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Porziņģis (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 103 a night to Utah's 123 and the line, where Utah takes 22 free throws a game to Boston's 15. Call it Boston 119, Utah 114.
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
LK L. Kornet
PP P. Pritchard
PO Porzingis
SH S. Hauser
CLECL C. LeVert
CP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
SM S. Merrill
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
Dean Wade scores 20 in fourth, Cavs rally to stun Celtics and end Boston's 11-game winning streak
CLEVELAND -- — With every one of Dean Wade 's shots that splashed through the net , the Cavaliers got closer to the Celtics and his confidence grew.
“The rim looked like a swimming pool,” he said.
Wade made five 3-pointers and scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Celtics by himself, and Cleveland won a replay review in the final second to stun Boston 105-104 on Tuesday night, ending the NBA's longest winning streak this season at 11 games.
With NFL star Travis Kelce urging on Cleveland's crowd from a courtside seat, the Cavs overcame a 22-point deficit in the final period, the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history.
“Honestly, when the Kelce brothers started hyping up the crowd, we knew we could do it,” Cavs center Jarrett Allen said.
Cleveland stormed back without All-Star Donovan Mitchell , who missed the game with a knee injury, as well as forward Evan Mobley , who went out with a sprained ankle in the third quarter.
Wade, who finished with a career-high 23 points, came to the rescue with his barrage of 3s in the fourth and a putback dunk with 19.1 seconds left that put the Cavs ahead 105-104.
The Celtics looked for a final shot and All-Star Jayson Tatum , who led Boston with 26 points, appeared to draw a foul on Cleveland's Darius Garland while shooting a fadeaway jumper with 0.7 seconds left.
The Cavs challenged the call, and following the review, officials said it was Tatum's leg that caused the contact and not Garland.
“I thought it was great defense,” said Garland, who wasn't positive the call would go his way. “I knew the leg kick was kind of in play. My shin still kind of hurts from it, so I’m glad that it was overturned.”
Tatum felt Garland made enough contact to warrant free throws.
“I thought I was fouled, but they (refs) didn’t think I got fouled, which was tough because we would have got the tip-in,” he said. “It’s a weird way to end the game.”
It was the latest stirring win at home for the Cavs, who beat Dallas last week on Max Strus 's 60-foot shot at the buzzer.
Following the game, Wade, who grew up in Kansas and is a die-hard Chiefs fan, said Kelce made him an offer.
“He said if basketball didn’t work out for me, I could be a backup tight end,” Wade said. “I got good hands. That was just awesome. Pretty cool.”
The Cavs are counting on Wade to be more consistent, especially not being at full strength.
“He’s a multifaceted guy. He’s not just a spot-up shooter,” Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "We know the things he can do defensively. But he has an offensive game and tonight he got it rolling.
“But the belief, the confidence, that’s who Dean Wade is at his core.”
Allen added 21 points and 12 rebounds and Garland had 16 points and 11 assists for the Cavs, who made eight of 11 3-pointers in the fourth. Reserve Georges Niang also made two big 3s to help fuel Cleveland's rally.
Kristaps Porzingis scored 24 points and Jaylen Brown had 21 for Boston, which lost for the first time since Feb. 1. The Celtics won three times by more than 40 points in that stretch.
“That’s what happens when you don’t match the gas and don’t put an NBA team away,” Brown said. “Tip your cap to Dean Wade. He got hot, but we should have won that game. We haven’t really seen a team storm back like that.
"Today was a mentality loss. We had the game. Shouldn’t have happened.”
Mitchell, the Cavs' leading scorer, has a left knee injury. He'll miss at least the next two games, and he could be out longer with an injury that wasn't responding to rest.
Mitchell received a platelet-rich plasma injection on Monday. He'll be re-examined this weekend.
Cleveland also lost Mobley, who didn't return after spraining his left ankle with 5:29 left in the third quarter.
The Celtics were coming off a 52-point blowout of Golden State , the club's third win by 50 or more this season. They were still comfortably up by 16 with 7:28 left, but the Cavs kept chipping away before and Wade finally put them ahead with his fifth 3.
The Kelces were on hand as the Cavs honored them with a bobblehead depicting the Cleveland-born NFL stars. Jason Kelce, who retired from the Philadelphia Eagles after 13 seasons on Monday, was presented with a No. 62 jersey.
UP NEXT
Celtics: At defending champion Denver on Thursday.