Celtics vs. Cavaliers: Score, Highlights, Reaction from 2016 Regular Season
For three quarters, the Cleveland Cavaliers (24-7) bullied the Boston Celtics (19-14).
Then the fourth quarter rolled around, and the defending NBA champions came unglued.
Although they led by 18 points through 36 minutes, the Cavaliers' lead shrunk to a single point down the stretch, and they had to scratch and claw for every bucket in the fourth quarter to secure a 124-118 win at Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday night.
LeBron James finished with 23 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds, but he wasn't the focal point of the Cavs offense on a night when he nearly recorded his fourth triple-double of the season.
That designation belonged to Kyrie Irving—who recorded a game-high 32 points and 12 assists. Irving also bailed out the Cavs with a couple of clutch driving layups over the final 90 seconds of regulation.
Kevin Love added 30 points on 10-of-22 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, and he was lethal in catch-and-shoot situations all night. According to Synergy Sports, Love is shooting 50 percent on spot-up jumpers and generating a league-high 1.59 points per possession on plays that end in those shots this season.
As a result of their combined efforts, Love, James and Irving all finished with double-doubles for just the second time since joining forces before the 2014-15 season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
NBA scribe Nate Duncan pointed to the star-studded triumvirate's season-long effort as the main source of the team's success:
The Celtics were led by 31 points and nine assists from Isaiah Thomas and 23 points from Avery Bradley, but by the time their offense started clicking, it was too late.
The Cavaliers entered halftime up by seven after scoring 30-plus points in the first and second quarters, and their lead was padded by some exceptional outside shooting.
Cleveland converted nine threes as Love and Irving carried the scoring load into the break.
Love dropped 15 points in the first quarter alone, and Irving—who missed practice Wednesday with an illness—started to percolate around the rim thanks to his ridiculous ball-handling:
As the Cavaliers scorched the Celtics from all corners of the floor, CBSSports.com's Matt Moore noted Boston still has work to do when it comes to fine-tuning its 16th-ranked defense:
"The Celtics are a better team this season but their defense is fundamentally not the same, at least so far, which impacts their formula
— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) December 30, 2016"
The Cavaliers' floor balance forced the Celtics to try to scramble on defense in frenetic fashion, but head coach Brad Stevens' club couldn't come up with an answer for a team that was firing on all cylinders, as Bleacher Report's Michael Pina noted:
Cleveland's lead continued to balloon throughout the third quarter, and an 18-point edge through three put the Cavaliers in a spot where they decided to coast.
That approach backfired when the Celtics opened the fourth quarter on a 19-7 run and cut Cleveland's lead to six, and the Cavaliers' problems multiplied from there.
Cleveland's defense was enveloped by lackadaisical play, and its offense stalled as James, Love and Irving failed to create open looks.
But despite getting outscored by 12 points in the final frame, the Cavaliers were able to hang on for the win.
Back on the winning track following a 16-point loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday, the Cavaliers will seek to close out 2016 with a victory on New Year's Eve, when they'll travel to Charlotte, North Carolina, for a clash with the Hornets.
The Celtics will embrace the same mindset Friday, when they'll suit up against the Miami Heat on the second night of a back-to-back.
If the Celtics secure their 20th win of the season before the year wraps up, they'll be able to enjoy a nice three-day break before the Utah Jazz come to town Jan. 3.
Postgame Reaction
Shortly after the final buzzer, Love discussed his team's star-studded balance with Fox Sports Ohio:
And back at the podium, Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue took time to discuss Love's performance with reporters, as the team's official Twitter account documented:
As for Irving, Lue said his point guard was forced to sit in the final minute due to a hamstring cramp. However, he emphasized the injury was not a hamstring pull, according to ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.
On the Celtics front, Stevens was not pleased with the way his team performed despite the late comeback, per ESPN.com's Chris Forsberg:
"I thought we were disappointing in the first 3," Stevens said, per the team's official Twitter account. "If they have 100 in the first 3 qtrs you don't have a real chance to beat them."
In defeat, Thomas admitted the Celtics aren't quite on par with the class of the Eastern Conference.
"We're not on that level yet," he said, per Forsberg. "We're not on Cleveland’s level, so we got work to do. And we gotta figure it out.
"The real good teams, you make a mistake and they capitalize on it, whether it be the Cavs, the Warriors, the Spurs -- those type of teams don’t let you live when you make a mistake. We're not on that level yet."
