Four Studs, Two Duds As Steamrolling Start Can’t Save Celtics Vs. Cavaliers

BOSTON — The Celtics hosted the Cleveland Cavaliers in a potential playoff preview at TD Garden on Friday night.

Boston dropped to 42-18 with a 123-116 loss while Cleveland improved to 49-10.

The Celtics started a seven-game homestand with a test against the top team in the Eastern Conference. Boston took the floor without both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis.

It didn’t even matter for quite a while.

The Celtics controlled every aspect of the game from the opening tip. They rebounded better. They ran with pace and shot with team-wide efficiency on offense. Boston started the contest on a 25-3 run in the opening five minutes to completely stun the current No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, much to the delight of an abnormally-rocking regular season crowd that further established a playoff feel in the building.

Cleveland didn’t let that start end the night for them and kept the game close in the remaining quarters. The Cavaliers relied on their stars for a furious comeback that exposed some complacency in a once-overpowering night for the Celtics.

In the end, Cleveland stunned Boston in a deflating loss for the Celtics.

Here are four studs and two duds from Boston’s loss:

STUDS
Jayson Tatum
Tatum led the Celtics all night long.

He poured in 18 points as part of the dominant first quarter for Boston. He completely took over against the Cavaliers. How does 30 points, nine rebounds and seven assists sound?

Now, how does it sound for Tatum’s numbers just in the first half? How about 40 points in three quarters? Impressive would be the answer.

The Celtics star finished the contest with 46 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists.

Tatum also passed Wilt Chamberlain for the sixth-most points all-time before turning 27 years old, as referenced by NESN.com’s Gio Rivera.

Jaylen Brown
Brown got the Celtics rolling when he knocked down a three-pointer on the opening possession of the night. He played with physical authority around the paint and challenged Cleveland to stop him down the lane.

Brown posted 19 points off 7-of-12 shooting in the first half and closed the night with 37 points after he played through foul trouble.

Derrick White
The Celtics started to falter in the second quarter before White steadied the tides for Boston. He drained multiple momentum-settling triples to keep Cleveland at a distance and restore Boston’s offensive confidence.

White tallied 14 points on 4-of-10 from deep along with three steals.

Donovan Mitchell
The Cleveland guard could not be stopped with any defensive coverage Friday night. He led the charge back against the Celtics with a sensational 41-point effort.

DUDS
Cavaliers’ first-quarter energy
The Celtics completely outclassed Cleveland in the first quarter and the Cavaliers had no answer physically. They found a wake-up call to start the second quarter, but the early hole Cleveland dug luckily for the Cavs proved surmountable in the second half.

Celtics’ second-quarter defense
The Celtics did basically everything right in the opening 12 and nearly blew that lead before halftime.

Cleveland shot out of the gates with a boost from its stars in Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. The Cavaliers jumped out to a 36-27 advantage in the quarter and still finished with a plus-three mark after White’s shooting surge for Boston.

The Celtics also allowed a 10-0 run at the end of the third quarter that dangerously tightened the game before Cleveland pulled ahead in the fourth quarter. Even without Holiday and Porzingis against the NBA’s top team, Boston had no reason to fall through.

Lead management will certainly be worth watching carefully for the Celtics in the final six weeks of the regular season.