Game ID: 22500128
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 at 7:00 PM ET
TD Garden, Boston, MA
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
BOS 40 35 23 27 125CLE 42 18 25 20 105
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 10/22 · season opener
full strength
BOS availability going into 10/24 · 1 day's rest
full strength
BOS availability going into 10/26 · 1 day's rest
full strength
BOS availability going into 10/27 · back-to-back
full strength
BOS availability going into 10/29 · 1 day's rest
full strength
BOS availability going into 10/31 · 1 day's restNEW Minott 16 to 22 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 11/01 · back-to-backOUT Boucher missed 2 since 10/29, returns tonight: 13 min (122% of 10)
NEW Minott 16 to 24 min over the last 4
BOS availability going into 11/03 · 1 day's restBACK Boucher back 11/01 after 2, 13 min since (122% of 10)
NEW Minott 16 to 23 min over the last 5
BOS availability going into 11/05 · 1 day's restBACK Boucher back 11/01 after 2, 10 min since (96% of 10)
NEW Minott 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 10/22 · season opener
full strength
CLE availability going into 10/24 · 1 day's rest
full strength
CLE availability going into 10/26 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 2 since 10/22, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 10/22, out tonight
CLE availability going into 10/27 · back-to-backOUT Tomlin missed 3 since 10/22, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 3 since 10/22, returns tonight: 7 min (61% of 11)
CLE availability going into 10/29 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 4 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 7 min since (61% of 11)
CLE availability going into 10/31 · 1 day's restOUT Tomlin missed 5 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 5 min since (43% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/02 · 1 day's restOUT Merrill missed 2 since 10/29, out tonight
OUT Tomlin missed 6 since 10/22, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 7 min since (64% of 11)
CLE availability going into 11/05 · 2 days' restOUT Allen missed 2 since 10/31, returns tonight: 30 min (106% of 28)
OUT Merrill missed 3 since 10/29, returns tonight: 27 min (108% of 25)
OUT Tomlin missed 7 since 10/22, returns tonight: 1 min (8% of 14)
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 7 min since (60% of 11)
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 18 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 11/07 · 1 day's restBACK Allen back 11/05 after 2, 30 min since (106% of 28)
BACK Merrill back 11/05 after 3, 27 min since (108% of 25)
BACK Tomlin back 11/05 after 7, 1 min since (8% of 14)
BACK Bryant back 10/27 after 3, 6 min since (50% of 11)
NEW Nance Jr. 12 to 18 min over the last 5
10/22 vs PHI 116-117 — BOS notes
BOS lost 116-117. BOS shot 45% (41 of 91) to PHI's 46%, 11 of 43 from three. Brown led with 25 (9 of 18, 2 of 4 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); White added 25, Queta 17. Q3 was theirs, 35-18, turning a 6-point deficit into a 11-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 99-81 against them. They led by as many as 13.
10/24 @ NYK 95-105 — BOS notes
BOS lost 95-105. BOS shot 43% (35 of 82) to NYK's 38%, 15 of 44 from three, and got to the line 15 times to NYK's 25. The glass went 37-53 against them. Brown led with 23 (9 of 18, 3 of 7 from three); Hauser added 18, White 15. Q1 was theirs, 30-22, but the other 3 periods went 83-65 against them. Brown's -14 in 35 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/26 @ DET 113-119 — BOS notes
BOS lost 113-119. BOS shot 43% (40 of 94) to DET's 42%, 15 of 45 from three, and got to the line 24 times to DET's 36. The glass went 38-55 against them. Brown led with 41 (12 of 25, 5 of 9 from three, 12 of 15 at the line); Pritchard added 21, White 15. Q1 was theirs, 33-24, but the other 3 periods went 95-80 against them. They led by as many as 17. Simons's -13 in 23 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/27 @ NOP 122-90 — BOS notes
BOS won 122-90. BOS shot 48% (46 of 95) to NOP's 33%, 18 of 53 from three, and got to the line 15 times to NOP's 28. The glass went 54-35 for them. Simons led with 25 (9 of 17, 6 of 13 from three); Pritchard added 18, Garza 16. The hinge was Q4, 35-12: a lead of 9 became 32. Minott was the night's best plus/minus at +42.
10/29 vs CLE 125-105 — BOS notes
BOS won 125-105. BOS shot 44% (42 of 95) to CLE's 40%, 21 of 57 from three. BOS turned it over 9 times to CLE's 14. The glass went 53-42 for them. Brown led with 30 (12 of 20, 4 of 9 from three); Hauser added 21, White 19. The hinge was Q2, 35-18: BOS came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 15, and the lead reached 20. Queta was the night's best plus/minus at +25.
11/03 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 43 percent and 34 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 26 and Pritchard at 16 a game. One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 124, shooting 42 percent and 30 from three, 33 free throws a game; Markkanen at 36 and George at 23 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Tshiebwe (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the line, where Utah takes 33 free throws a game to Boston's 16 and the turnovers, Utah giving it away 18 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 120, Utah 111.
11/05 vs WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Boston comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 107, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 16 free throws a game; Brown at 25 and Simons at 15 a game. One day's rest. Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 130, shooting 45 percent and 37 from three, 19 free throws a game; Sarr at 19 and McCollum at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Watkins (3 straight), Cooper (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Boston wins, and the game turns on the defense, Boston allowing 107 a night to Washington's 130 and the turnovers, Washington giving it away 18 times a game to Boston's 10. Call it Boston 121, Washington 109, Boston by 12.
10/22 @ NYK 111-119 — CLE notes
CLE lost 111-119. CLE shot 47% (40 of 86) to NYK's 43%, 19 of 46 from three, and got to the line 18 times to NYK's 36. The glass went 32-48 against them. Mitchell led with 31 (12 of 25, 2 of 9 from three); Mobley added 22, Merrill 19. Q3 was theirs, 37-22, the deficit cut from 15 to 0, but the other 3 periods went 97-74 against them. Mitchell's -14 in 36 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/24 @ BKN 131-124 — CLE notes
CLE won 131-124. CLE shot 54% (44 of 82) to BKN's 51%, 18 of 42 from three, and went to the line 35 times to BKN's 7 — 25 points from the stripe to their 7. Mitchell led with 35 (10 of 15, 6 of 10 from three, 9 of 12 at the line); Allen added 22, Merrill 22. The hinge was Q1, 34-23: from level to 11 ahead, and the lead reached 25. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
10/26 vs MIL 118-113 — CLE notes
CLE won 118-113. CLE shot 45% (39 of 87) to MIL's 51%, 12 of 40 from three, and went to the line 35 times to MIL's 28 — 28 points from the stripe to their 20. Mitchell led with 24 (9 of 20, 1 of 8 from three, 5 of 8 at the line); Mobley added 23, Merrill 17. The hinge was Q2, 36-25: CLE came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 9, and the lead reached 18. Merrill was the night's best plus/minus at +17.
10/27 @ DET 116-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 116-95. CLE shot 46% (39 of 85) to DET's 38%, 11 of 35 from three, and went to the line 35 times to DET's 27 — 27 points from the stripe to their 18. CLE turned it over 19 times to DET's 25. Mitchell led with 35 (13 of 18, 2 of 4 from three, 7 of 8 at the line); Allen added 20, Mobley 15. The hinge was Q2, 30-17: a lead of 9 became 22, and the lead reached 35. Mitchell was the night's best plus/minus at +38.
10/29 @ BOS 105-125 — CLE notes
CLE lost 105-125. CLE shot 40% (35 of 87) to BOS's 44%, 17 of 52 from three. CLE turned it over 14 times to BOS's 9, and BOS turned those into 11 steals. The glass went 42-53 against them. Mobley led with 19 (7 of 19, 2 of 8 from three); Tyson added 19, Hunter 18. Q1 was theirs, 42-40, but the other 3 periods went 85-63 against them. Hunter's -25 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
10/31 vs TOR — 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 116 a night and allowing 115, shooting 46 percent and 36 from three, 29 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Mobley at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. One day's rest. Toronto comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 121 a night and allowing 128, shooting 51 percent and 40 from three, 25 free throws a game; Barnes at 22 and Ingram at 22 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 10 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 115 a night to Toronto's 128 and the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-4 a night and Toronto minus-10. Call it Cleveland 123, Toronto 117.
11/02 vs ATL — 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 114 a night and allowing 114, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 30 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Mobley at 20 a game. Without Merrill (2 straight). One day's rest. Atlanta comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 116 a night and allowing 114, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Johnson at 20 and Porziņģis at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Krejčí (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 30 free throws a game to Atlanta's 22 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 16 times a game to Atlanta's 11. Call it Cleveland 116, Atlanta 114, Atlanta keeping it close.
11/05 vs PHI — 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 111 a night and allowing 111, shooting 42 percent and 32 from three, 27 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Mobley at 20 a game. Without Allen (2 straight), Merrill (3 straight). 2 days' rest. Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 125 a night and allowing 117, shooting 47 percent and 39 from three, 28 free throws a game; Maxey at 35 and Embiid at 22 a game. Without Barlow (5 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the arc, Philadelphia at 39 percent from three to Cleveland's 32 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 111 a night to Philadelphia's 117. Call it Cleveland 117, Philadelphia 116, Philadelphia keeping it close.
11/07 @ WAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Washington comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 129, shooting 46 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Sarr at 21 and George at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Middleton (2 straight), Watkins (4 straight), Cooper (5 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 112, shooting 44 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 33 and Allen at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Cleveland allowing 112 a night to Washington's 129 and the turnovers, Washington giving it away 19 times a game to Cleveland's 15. Call it Cleveland 121, Washington 113.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
DW D. Wade
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
LB L. Ball
LN L. Nance Jr.
TB T. Bryant
TP T. Proctor
BOSAS A. Simons
BS B. Scheierman
DW D. White
JB J. Brown
JM J. Minott
LG L. Garza
NQ N. Queta
PP P. Pritchard
SH S. Hauser
XT X. Tillman
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
Jaylen Brown scores 30 as Celtics snap Cavaliers' win streak
BOSTON -- — Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, including 13 during a 20-3 run to end the first half that helped the Boston Celtics pull away from Cleveland to win 125-105 on Wednesday night and snap the Cavaliers’ three-game winning streak.
Sam Hauser scored 21 points off the bench for Boston, which has won two straight since opening the season with three losses in a row. Josh Minott had 14 rebounds, Neemias Queta had 13 and Payton Pritchard had 10 assists for the Celtics.
Evan Mobley scored 19 points with 11 rebounds and Jaylon Tyson also scored 19 for the Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell made all four 3-point attempts for 12 points in the first quarter, when the Cavaliers led 42-40, but made just one of his last eight shots and finished with 15 points.
Boston led by 19 points midway through the third quarter and had a 98-80 advantage in the final two minutes of the third before Cleveland scored the next eight points. The Cavs never got closer than nine points from there, shooting 33% (8 for 24) in the fourth quarter as they failed to chip into Boston's lead.
Boston’s only previous win this season was on Monday night, when they beat the winless New Orleans Pelicans .
The Cavaliers led by three points early in the second quarter and had a 57-55 lead with four minutes left in the half before Boston ran off 20 of the next 23 points to take a 15-point halftime lead.
Brown hit three 3-pointers down the stretch, making a 31-footer with 17 seconds left and then a step-back 26-footer at the buzzer to give the Celtics a 75-60 lead.
The teams combined for 18 3-pointers in the first quarter, one shy of the NBA record.
The Celtics had 20 assists in the first half.
Up next Cavaliers: Host Toronto on Friday night for the opener of the in-season tournament.
Celtics: Visit Philadelphia on Friday night in the tournament.