The Celtics trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half before a late rally fell short in the fourth quarter, as the visitors dropped their second straight game to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night at Quicken Loans Arena. Jayson Tatum finished with a game-high 29 points while Jaylen Brown added 25 points but it wasn’t enough to overcome an ugly offensive start for Boston (38 first half points) that left the visitors with too big of a hill to climb over the final 24 minutes.
Colin Sexton had a team-high 29 points for the hosts while Darius Garland added 25 points and six assists to drop Boston to the .500 mark on the season 40 games into the year.
Four observations from Boston’s loss:
Robert Williams returned to the game after a scary fall in the second half: The third-year center put up his second straight double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds but a awkward fall on an alley-oop attempt led to what appeared to be a knee injury for the big man. Williams initially tried to play through the pain but was subbed out shortly by Boston after attempting free throws once he was followed on the attempt. The big man was the lone bright spot off the bench for Boston on Wednesday night, the only reserve to score in double digits for the second straight game. Williams did return to the game in the final four minutes after returning from a trip to the locker room with trainers but failed to make much of an impact down the stretch.
The Celtics offense was putrid in the first half: The Celtics came out flat from the opening tip in this one on the second half of a back-to-back against one of the worst defenses in the NBA. Without starting point guard Kemba Walker, the visitors mustered a paltry 38 points in the first half, shooting just 37 percent from the field and 20 percent from 3-point range. Boston’s poor shooting was made worse by 12 turnovers in the opening 24 minutes with nine of those miscues coming from Boston’s starting five. With zero players scoring in double digits early, Boston dug a 21-point hole that they spent the entire second half attempting to dig out off.
Boston continues to have problems containing quick guards: Defense has been a weak spot for the Celtics all year long but a lack of reliable defenders beyond Marcus Smart in the backcourt showed against a couple of high-energy guards in Cleveland. Darius Garland and Colin Sexton led the Cavs in scoring as a host of Celtics defenders (Jeff Teague, Payton Pritchard, Carsen Edwards, Javonte Green) got a chance to slow them down with limited success. Ultimately, Brad Stevens opted for more zone defense in the second half which helped to limit to slow them at points but ultimately it was too little too late for a Celtics defense that has fallen into the bottom third of the NBA.
Everyone got a chance but Aaron Nesmith: With Kemba Walker (rest) and Tristan Thompson (NBA safety protocols) out of the lineup, Brad Stevens searched far and wide for a spark across his bench after a lackluster start by his starters. Ultimately, every healthy member of the 15-man roster got a chance except for No. 14 overall pick Aaron Nesmith. The rookie has only played one game in the month of March after being a regular contributor in the rotation in February but Stevens opted for other alternatives on his bench in this one. Boston’s head coach said Nesmith will continue to get opportunities as the season plugs along but with the Celtics dropping back down to .500