Cavaliers drop Game 1 120-95
Cavs couldn’t contain Boston in Game 1.
The Cleveland Cavaliers faced a bombardment from the three-point line to start their series with the Boston Celtics.
Nightly Notables
Donovan Mitchell continued his prolific scoring streak by pouring in 33 points on 12-25 shooting. This marked Mitchell’s third straight game of 30+ points and he has put up a combined 122 points across his last three games.
Evan Mobley provided some support that came too little too late, scoring 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Darius Garland finished with just 14 points, something that won’t cut it in this series. Mobley and Garland will need to be more aggressive if Cleveland wants to keep up with Boston offensively.
As for the Celtics, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White led the way. White and Brown tag-teamed the Cavs for 57 points on 11-18 three-point shooting. Two dynamic wings, Brown and White are sure to give the Cavaliers problems on both ends of the floor throughout this matchup.
Overall, Boston buried 18 three-pointers behind a style of play that is drastically different from the one Cleveland just faced against the Magic. The pace and space of this series is something the Cavs will struggle to match.
Big Picture
The Cavaliers don’t have many bodies to throw at Boston’s collection of perimeter scorers. Max Strus, Donovan Mitchell, and Darius Garland are too short to close out effectively on shooters. If Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen remain sidelined, the Celtics might have free reign to do thisagain in Game 2.
On the other end of the floor, the Cavaliers looked more comfortable now that they were not facing the oversized frontcourt of Orlando. While this made it easier for the Cavs to generate offense, it wasn’t enough as only Mitchell and Mobley scored above 15 points.
It seems unlikely Cleveland can keep a lid on the fast-paced, fully-spaced Celtics. That means they will have to match that firepower with their own. So far, the odds are not in their favor.