Pritchard scores 42 as Celtics beat Cavaliers: Takeaways

Payton Pritchard had an enormous night time and Jaylen Brown recorded a triple-double because the Celtics held on for an exhilarating win over the Cavaliers on Sunday. 

Listed here are the takeaways.

Payton Pritchard was totally engulfed in flames

Pritchard struggled against the Timberwolves on Saturday, and the Cavaliers suffered the wrath of his imply regression instantly — he buried a 3-pointer on the primary possession of the sport, then wanted only one minute earlier than he made his subsequent one. On the Celtics’ subsequent possession, he buried his third. 

The one factor that was in a position to restrict Pritchard within the first quarter was foul hassle — he picked up his second on the 5:52 mark, simply eight seconds after scoring his tenth level with a mid-range jumper.

However when Pritchard returned to the sport, he remained sizzling, and he was an vital a part of an enormous third-quarter flurry that stretched the lead as excessive as 18 earlier than the Cavaliers trimmed the deficit again all the way down to 11 earlier than the top of the quarter. Pritchard then hit a monstrous 3-pointer late within the fourth quarter, three big 2-pointers, and 4 huge free throws that helped the Celtics maintain the Cavaliers at arm’s size. He completed with 42 factors on 15-for-22 taking pictures and 6-for-11 from behind the 3-point line.

Possibly Pritchard’s greatest play in a 42-point recreation, nevertheless, got here with 15 seconds remaining. The Celtics wanted to get the ball over the half-court line towards a hyper-aggressive Cavaliers protection, they usually solely had three seconds to take action. Pritchard calmly caught the inbounds go within the again court docket (the place Cleveland wished him to catch it), and he nimbly maneuvered his manner by Cleveland’s defenders to seek out Sam Hauser throughout the road within the nick of time. Hauser handed again to Pritchard, and he dribbled a number of seconds off the clock earlier than the Cavaliers have been in a position to foul him.

At their finest, the Celtics are fast and aggressive, pushed by bucket-getters and 3-point taking pictures. Pritchard embodies all of that, and on nights like Sunday when he begins making photographs early, he turns into very tough to cease. 

Jaylen Brown bought a triple-double hitting cutters

Brown didn’t have his finest recreation as a scorer (3-for-13 from the ground, 1-for-4 from deep), however towards a Cavaliers group that was laser-focused on stopping him, he helped his teammates take benefit—he added 12 rebounds and 11 assists, tallying the fourth triple-double of his profession. 

Final yr’s Celtics group was outlined by 3-point taking pictures, however this yr’s squad—led by Brown—has been much more harmful from the mid-range, and Brown has led the cost. In response to Synergy Sports activities, he’s within the 89th percentile league-wide from mid-range, taking pictures 52.5 p.c from 17 toes to the 3-point line, and groups have caught on to the truth that Brown taking pictures mid-range jumpers is almost as environment friendly as a good 3-point shooter firing from behind the arc. 

So when the Cavaliers tried to remove Brown’s mid-range taking pictures, the Celtics’ function gamers made the good adjustment to easily reduce backdoor, and Brown was content material to pile up assists dishing to his teammates beneath the rim. 

“To me, having an incredible stability of realizing when it’s his time versus when it’s time to make a play, and that’s been an enormous development of his—not simply this yr, however up to now as nicely,” Joe Mazzulla advised reporters afterward. “That’s what you need out of your finest gamers.”

Brown piled up 19 factors because of a giant night time on the free-throw line (12-for-16), though he missed two in a row at one level in addition to one with beneath a second remaining that made the ultimate possession somewhat dicey. 

Nonetheless, like a real celebrity, Brown discovered methods to have an effect on the sport even when he wasn’t scoring like he did towards the Timberwolves. 

Xavier Tillman had his finest recreation of the season

Slotted right into a beginning function with Neemias Queta sidelined, Xavier Tillman regarded very comfy regardless of his standing as a little-used depth massive man. Defensively, Tillman is cell sufficient to maneuver his toes respectably throughout the Celtics’ system, and he was strong across the basket — racking up 9 factors on 4-for-9 taking pictures. 4 of his misses got here behind the 3-point line (though, for no matter it’s price, his lone make regarded spectacular popping out of his fingers). 

Mazzulla lauded Tillman after the sport for his means to play with no rhythm.

“X is the last word skilled,” Mazzulla mentioned.”Whether or not he performs each recreation or he misses 10 video games, I’ve a stage of belief that he’s going to go on the market, and he’s going to execute, and he’s going to do precisely what we would like, and that’s actually arduous to do on this league, so you may’t take a man like that as a right. 

Jordan Walsh ripped a man

Walsh has earned a recurring spot within the Celtics’ beginning lineup with hyper-aggressive protection, making performs that you just don’t see fairly often, even on the NBA stage. 

On Sunday, his finest one got here early within the fourth quarter. With 9:15 remaining, Cavaliers ahead De’Andre Hunter grabbed a rebound with the Celtics nursing a four-point lead after Anfernee Simons missed a triple. Hunter, nevertheless, didn’t have full management of the ball, and Walsh bought his fingers in and ripped it away — bypassing a soar ball totally and as a substitute forcing a turnover. Hunter fouled Walsh, and he bought a pair of free throws, which he knocked down. 

Walsh completed with 14 factors and 11 rebounds to go together with a pair of steals.

“To me, [Walsh’s best play] was taking the ball and getting the foul,” Mazzulla mentioned. “He’s slowly understanding what the function must be each single night time, and it’s a tough activity. Tonight, I assumed you noticed what the perfect model of him is on each ends of the ground, and he could be that each night time, and he’s studying that, however that’s the Jordan that we’d like. 

“If we need to get to a special stage this yr, he’s bought to maintain working at it, however tonight was an ideal instance of him at his finest.”

Your lead isn’t protected with Donovan Mitchell

Presumably by now, the Celtics have obtained a wholesome stage of concern of late-game Donovan Mitchell, towards whom no lead ever appears to be totally protected. 

That was the case as soon as once more on Sunday. The Celtics let their lead dip, however they constructed it again to a wholesome eight-point benefit with 1:24 left after a pair of free throws by Pritchard. 

The Cavaliers, nevertheless, bought 5 straight on a dunk by Evan Mobley and a deep, sky-scraping 3-pointer by Mitchell. The Celtics bought one other jumper by Pritchard, which Mitchell answered with one other much more tough 3-pointer that trimmed the benefit to 2. 

Pritchard tried once more to place the sport away with the aforementioned dribble over half court docket, however Darius Garland then responded with a 3-pointer of his personal, and after Brown break up a pair of free throws, the Celtics have been in actual hazard of shedding a recreation that they in all probability felt like they sewed up on a number of events. 

Garland (21 factors) really outscored Mitchell (18), however nobody who watches the Celtics persistently would mistake Garland’s affect for something near Mitchell’s — the Celtics love when Garland is on the ground as a result of they aim him mercilessly, and his brutal -27 within the field rating spoke to the keenness with which the Celtics went at him.

Mitchell, nevertheless, is explosive sufficient that the Celtics can by no means really feel actually relaxed, irrespective of the lead.

The Celtics are performing admirably throughout a tricky stretch

Per week in the past, the Celtics beat the Magic 138-129 of their first of a 10-game stretch throughout which they might face 9 instances who have been above them within the standings. 

After the primary 4 video games of that stretch, the Celtics at the moment are 3-1. 

The Magic recreation was a little bit of a freebie—Orlando was very short-handed—however the wins now embody victories over the East-leading Pistons, and a Cavaliers group that was projected to complete far forward of the Celtics however now solely leads them within the standings by half a recreation. 

The Celtics have now received seven of their final 10, and whereas they’re ninth within the standings, they path the fourth-place Warmth (who they play head-to-head close to the top of this brutal stretch) by simply two video games. 

The Celtics, nevertheless improbably, are hanging in there. 

What’s subsequent

The Celtics’ grip, nevertheless, will proceed to be examined. They now return dwelling to face the Knicks—the primary in a three-games-in-four-nights stretch that features a contest Thursday towards the Wizards in Washington earlier than they tackle the Lakers at TD Backyard on Friday.

The Celtics journey to Toronto to tackle the third-place (we swear we do not make that up) Raptors subsequent Sunday.