Celtics vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
When the Cleveland Cavaliers (5-0) click like they did Thursday night, there's no stopping them.
Matched up against the Boston Celtics (3-2) at Quicken Loans Arena, the defending NBA champions secured a 128-122 win behind a balanced and efficient attack that featured six double-figure scorers.
LeBron James spearheaded Cleveland with 30 points on 12-of-22 shooting, 12 assists and seven rebounds, while Kyrie Irving poured in 23 points and grabbed four rebounds.
Irving also tallied six assists, with his most electric one coming when he fed James for an off-the-glass slam:
However, Tristan Thompson's play was arguably the biggest story.
After notching one double-double over Cleveland's first four games, the Cavs center broke out for 15 points, 14 rebounds—four of which came on the offensive glass—and three blocks.
Thompson was at his best in the first half, when he controlled the paint on both ends, and his emphatic dunk over Celtics center Tyler Zeller kept the Cavaliers humming before they entered halftime up by 17 points:
Bleacher Report's Michael Pina took note of Thompson's stellar stylings on a night when the Cavs outscored Boston by 11 points during his 31 minutes on the floor:
Cleveland shot 41.2 percent from three-point range against a depleted Celtics team that was without Jae Crowder (ankle) and Al Horford (concussion).
Kevin Love (26 points), Channing Frye (11 points) and Iman Shumpert (15 points) all chimed in with contributions from beyond the arc. That trio combined to hit nine of 16 threes, which served as a stark contrast to Boston's struggles from distance.
While the Celtics boasted five double-figure scorers, they shot 34.4 percent from three and couldn't keep pace with a Cavs offense that had hit 100 points by the time the third quarter came to a close.
Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley led the way with 30 and 26 points, respectively, but Boston's point guard missed all six of his three-point attempts.
Despite their struggles, the short-handed Celtics had plenty to be happy about.
First and foremost, Bradley was locked in again.
Five days after going for 31 points, 11 rebounds and four assists against the Charlotte Hornets, Boston's 2-guard grabbed 10 boards and doled out two dimes while drilling 11 of 20 shots.
The Vertical's Chris Mannix took note of Bradley's rise into an elite tier of shooting guards:
Rookie Jaylen Brown also showed out in a big spot.
Filling in for Crowder, the 20-year-old went toe-to-toe with James and acquitted himself beautifully with 19 points, five rebounds and three steals while going 8-of-16 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
Brown first turned heads with a sweet baseline slam:
He continued to make clutch plays—including a couple of deep threes—as the Celtics clawed their way back into contention throughout the fourth quarter.
Brown's breakout was so impressive that Toronto Raptors forward Jared Sullinger felt the need to praise the No. 3 overall pick:
Although the Celtics' night looked like it was headed nowhere fast when they fell behind by 20 points, their resilience and strong contributions from a slew of perimeter players provided a glimpse of what's to come.
Thomas and Bradley are an imposing one-two punch, but if Brown can continue to score off the ball when Crowder returns, head coach Brad Stevens will have a heap of talent at his disposal.
While the Cavaliers slipped up late, their early dominance was reflective of the chemistry the reigning champs have touted ever since the season started.
At 5-0, it will be a shock if the Cavaliers don't make it a half-dozen victories without a loss by the time the weekend is over.
Next up for Cleveland is a Saturday road date with the Philadelphia 76ers—who have yet to record a win as they try to uncover a new identity with center Joel Embiid back. The Celtics will have two days off before they host the Denver Nuggets at TD Garden on Sunday evening.
Postgame Reaction
After the game, TNT's Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace provided their take on the Celtics' resilient effort:
However, Stevens wanted to focus on the Cavs.
"This is the best I’ve seen the Cavs play in November," Stevens said, per the Akron Beacon Journal's Jason Lloyd. "Everybody is trying to figure themselves out to be the best version of themselves, but they’re way ahead of where they were the last two years, in my opinion. And (James) looks great. I mean, they’re really good."
But at the end of the day, most of the focus was on Brown and his stellar first start.
"If he can bring that same tenacity and that same focus, especially defensively, he can just keep getting better," Stevens said, per the Boston Globe's Adam Himmelsbach.
"The unseen hours is what people don’t know about," Brown said of his improved jumper, per Himmelsbach. "When I can’t sleep I’m in the gym at 2 a.m."
Heck, even LeBron was impressed.
"Boston definitely is enjoying all the picks that they're getting from the Nets the last few years," he said, according to Himmelsbach.
