Nov 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) controls the ball while Boston Celtics center Neemias Queta (88) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images
As Cleveland enters Sunday’s home game against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics with the league’s best record, the Cavaliers are also trying to avoid a three-game losing streak.
Cleveland had its 15-game winning streak to start the season snapped in its last meeting with Boston, a 120-117 victory for the home Celtics on Nov. 19. The Cavaliers bounced back with a pair of wins over Toronto and New Orleans, but fell in meetings with the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday and Friday.
On Wednesday, Trae Young had 20 points and 22 assists as Atlanta scored 135 points, the most Cleveland has allowed this season. The Hawks followed up their 11-point win in Cleveland with a 16-point rout of the Cavaliers on Friday in Atlanta.
The consecutive losses left Cleveland with a 17-3 record, tied with Boston for the NBA’s best mark in the loss column. The Cavaliers maintain the league’s best winning percentage at .850, but are trying to avoid their first three-game losing streak since last April.
“Our defensive performance was good,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said, comparing Friday’s loss to Wednesday’s. “But our offense fell apart. It’s hard to be mad at our guys. They’ve been phenomenal on offense.”
Last season, the Cavaliers ranked 20th in points per game with 112.6. In their first season with Atkinson as coach, they led the NBA in scoring with 122.4.
Friday’s game was Cleveland’s lowest-scoring game of the season, despite Darius Garland’s 29 points and Evan Mobley’s 24. Donovan Mitchell managed less than half his season average (24.1) with 12, while Jarrett Allen, who averaged 14.5 points per game, managed just six.
The Cavaliers seek to return to winning ways against the Celtics, who are on a seven-game winning streak. The Celtics, who average the second-highest points per game in the NBA with 121.2, ended their streak with 139 points in the win over Brooklyn on November 13 and 138 points in Friday’s victory over Chicago.
Jayson Tatum scored 35 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in Boston’s nine-point victory over the Bulls. He averages 28.7 points, including his 33-point performance in the win over the Cavaliers.
In Friday’s NBA Cup victory, Boston also got a great performance from Payton Pritchard, coming off the bench. His 29 points (19 in the fourth quarter) came after a 20-point performance in the Celtics’ 126-94 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
“The key for him is that he finds different ways to influence games. He’s grown as a player throughout his career,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said of Pritchard. “He’s a complete player. I know it sounds weird, but he’s one of the best three-level scorers I’ve seen for his size, and he’s a high-level competitor.”
At 15.6 points per game, Pritchard is one of five Celtics averaging more than 12 points along with Tatum, Jaylen Brown (24.7), Derrick White (18.3) and Jrue Holiday (12.1).
–Field level media
2024-11-30 23:02:00